Not Your Enemy
by seriikuro
Summary: Raven found a young girl in the woods by their house. She and Charles quickly take her in and help her, but she's wary of them. She was running from something, someone. Her past is hidden in shadows and she plans to keep it that way, but with the advent of Shaw and his plan, it seems like that can't happen. Set in X-Men: First Class. Charles doesn't lose his legs. Charles/OC
1. Chapter 1: A New Family

**Hey guys, been a long time since I've done anything on here. With the new X-Men movies, my obsession has resurfaced and culminated into this. Hopefully I can actually finish this. I don't own anything except for Amaya. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

.:-:-:.

Charles leaned back with a good book right before bed, something he did often. Other times he relaxed with Raven and had a game of chess with her. He won every time, but she was learning quickly and often accused him of using his abilities, making him chuckle. This time she was already asleep and he sought not to disturb her. At least, he thought she was sleeping. He jumped, hearing a resounding thump followed by a cry of his name.

Charles quickly ran out of his room and went downstairs only to find Raven standing in front of him with an unconscious girl beside her by the door. "Raven, I thought you were asleep."

"I had an uneasy feeling and found her... She was in the forest and she's hurt badly," she spoke. "Help me help her."

He sighed and went down the stairs. He helped Raven carry her over to one of the rooms and began to clean the girl up as Raven dashed to get spare clothes for her. She was covered in dirt and blood, several layers of mud covering her skin and even more covering her injuries. Her hair was a mangled mess, tangled with leaves. Who knew what difficulties she had to face before Raven had found her, and who knew what more she would have had to if she wasn't found.

Raven returned with sleeping clothes and set them aside to help Charles clean her up. She carefully avoided the extensive injuries that she saw and kept a light touch as to not hurt her, knowing that she had bruises and other injuries they couldn't see. She grew sad seeing a girl like this, someone who was her age or even younger. She would have ended up like that if Charles hadn't taken her in.

Before they could continue, her eyes snapped open and both Charles and Raven were sent flying back against the wall. They groaned at the sudden impact and glanced down at what was pressing them against the wall. It was a strange pressure, seemingly there but it wasn't solid. They could feel it against their skin yet they weren't able to actually touch it. Charles eyed the wisps of shadows holding him and Raven to the wall before looking over to the girl in front of them.

She was sitting up, her purple and red eyes looked between them in a dark glare. What surprised him were the fact that her eyes were black, not white. Behind her anger was fear and caution. Her hand was stretched towards them and shaking as she controlled the shadows, the ones around her moving restlessly.

Charles reached into her mind to attempt to calm her down. He had made it in up until she turned to him and narrowed her eyes, tightening the shadow's grip on his throat. "We won't hurt you," he spoke, trying to even his voice despite the lack of air.

Her glare only hardened and she frowned.

"I promise," he continued. "My name is Charles Xavier, this is my sister Raven. She found you and we were fixing your wounds."

The girl glanced down at herself and when she saw that he was telling the truth, released them. She looked at them warily and kept her defenses up though.

Charles let out a sigh of relief and rubbed at his throat before looking to Raven to make sure she was alright. Raven nodded to him before looking to the girl once again but this time her eyes were normal purple, the black scleras switching to white.

"We're like you, don't worry," she said, changing into her natural form rather than maintaining a human one to prove her point.

The girl merely stared. They couldn't tell if she was surprised or not.

"What's your name?"

She hesitated to speak at first, but she complied seeing as how they were actually helping her. "Amaya... My name is Amaya..."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You have an interesting ability, Amaya," Charles said as he walked over. "You are able to control shadows, and I do believe you have mild shapeshifting abilities. You are able to change part of your appearance."

She nodded hesitantly. "You're a telepath..."

"Indeed."

Amaya began to shake her head, eying him. "I don't like telepaths..."

"I promise you, I won't invade you personal thoughts. I never invaded Raven's either. I don't know what other telepaths you have met, but I won't hurt you." He picked up a washcloth. "May we?"

She nodded and sat stiffly as they began to clean her again. If they hurt her in any way by accident she didn't show it but Charles would feel a sudden peak in her mind and apologize. Once they had gotten her clean enough, Raven helped her wash her hair and get changed before meeting them in the room once again.

"Thank you," she said. "If you'll excuse me..." She began to head towards the door, no doubt planning to leave.

"Why don't you stay?" Raven offered before she could even touch the knob.

Amaya froze and turned around questionably.

"I mean, you're hurt. A lot. You could stay and heal up. Maybe you could even just stay with us and not leave. It's just me and Charles in this big house." Raven turned her golden eyes to Charles to back her up.

"She's right. You don't have to leave. You can stay here with us, safe. I promise. You're only ten? Eleven?"

"Twelve," she corrected.

"Twelve, forgive me. You're only a few years younger than us. It would be best if you stay."

"They'll find me. They'll catch me and then they'll catch you too."

"They won't. We'll make sure of it.

"They always do."

"How about this then? Stay the for the night and for breakfast. If you still wish to leave we'll help you. If you wish to stay, we'll help you settle in."

She looked at them intently, contemplating. They had found her and helped her, but that was the same thing that _they_ did, and that ended up horribly. If Charles and Raven were anything like the previous she'd met, they'd drop their facade after a week or so. If they weren't and _they_ found her they'd take them as well. She took a breath and nodded. She'll stay for the night and leave in the morning, she decided.

Charles smiled. "Raven, why don't you take her to one of our spare rooms while I clean up?"

"Come on, Amaya." Raven gave her a tired, but kind grin and grabbed her hand before taking her down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2: Didn't Mean To Say That

**Wow guys, I'm surprised at how many of you favorited and followed this story already after one chapter. Thanks! From here on out it's set in the movie, starting with the bar scene just because. Anywho, let's continue on, shall we? Enjoy~**

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Raven sat on the staircase, waiting for Charles and Amaya to come down. They had made plans earlier to head out to one of the bars that night, so she sat bored while waiting for them. Her abilities made it easier to change, but it shouldn't take that long to change for a night out. She let out sigh and rested her head against her hands.

"Charles! Amaya!" she called impatiently. "Hurry up!"

"I'm not the one spending twenty minutes on their hair," Amaya spoke, sliding down the bannister.

Charles rolled his eyes as he walked down the stairs. "You insisted on messing it up."

"Did I?" She looked to him and raised an eyebrow, mischief shining in her purple eyes. "I never noticed."

Raven laughed and looked at his ruffled hair. "Seems like you just gave up."

"If I fix it, she would merely mess it up once again. There's no point."

The blond snickered and ruffled her brother's hair as he passed. "Nice job, Amaya."

"A girl gets bored." She shrugged indifferently and followed them out to the car.

"What am I ever going to do with you two?"

Raven smiled and wrapped an arm around him. "Love us to death."

"Let us drink to death," Amaya added.

Charles chuckled and got in the vehicle. "I rather like Raven's answer better. I don't plan on letting you drink."

"Always the protective older brother. No fun." She pouted slightly and stared out the window.

It had been many years since that fated day, when Raven found her, many years since they gave her their offer, and many years since she made her decision way. Technically, they made her decision to stay, always saying something along the lines of "just stay for lunch, then you can leave" or "just stay for another night, you're not healed yet". After three days, it was obvious that they weren't going to let her leave. They had already given her several clothes and gave her a room to stay in, after all.

She'd grown closer to them but still remained greatly to herself for many matters. She made sure that whenever they got too close to something she wanted to keep hidden, they knew. Charles kept his promise on never treading on her personal thoughts, but sometimes he dipped into her mind to calm her down or communicate. But that didn't mean that Charles didn't want to know. He wanted to figure out her secrets, to know why she keeps her distance. He'd be happy if he knew where she went whenever she left the house without them. Even after living with her for so many years, she kept so much of herself secret. He knew she trusted them to an extent, but he'd always hoped that trust would grow and she'd completely trust them.

They stepped into the bar and took one of the tables for a moment or two, just talking. They made sure that they'd be there to hear Charles' thesis. Then again, they were always present for support whenever he gave a lecture, so it was a given. Raven saw him looking at a girl at the bar and snickered. There was his target for the night. As expected, he got up and headed over.

"How much you wanna bet he's going to use that whole 'groovy mutation' line?" Amaya chuckled, watching.

"Oh he definitely is. Then he'll forget to get our drinks. As usual."

"Then we'll get someone else to get our drinks." Her gaze shifted from Raven to the man sitting behind her, meeting his eyes. She gave a small smile to him and looked back to Raven once again.

"Planning on doing what Charles is doing?" Raven questioned.

"Well, I plan on at least getting his number if anything." She shrugged. "And a free drink of course." She met the man's eyes again and watched as he rose from his seat and began to walk over.

"Can I get you two lovely ladies a drink?" he asked with a look between both Raven and Amaya.

Raven looked to Amaya and shook her head amusedly. "I'm fine, thank you."

She gave her a knowing smirk and turned to him. "What a kind gentleman. I think I'll take you up on that offer." She stood and placed her arm in his as he led her to the other side of the bar and took a seat at the counter.

Raven watched Charles speak with the blonde in front of him and then turned to Amaya who was speaking to the brunet man. She was doing surprisingly well, at least, it was surprising to Raven. She made a mental note to ask her about it later. With a sigh, Raven got up and walked over to Charles.

"Guess I'll have to buy my own drink," she teased.

"I'm sorry, one cola," Charles ordered.

The blonde woman smiled at Raven. "Charles here was just telling me that I'm like one of the first sea creatures that grew legs."

"Tiny bit sexier," he chuckled. "I'm sorry, this is my sister, Raven."

Said girl turned to her and smiled, shaking her hand. "Hi."

"And what do you study?" she asked.

"Waitressing."

"Ah..." The girl blinked and watched as one of Raven's eyes turned gold. "Oh look, you have heterochromia too!"

"Sorry, what?" Charles asked.

"Look at her eye."

Raven flashed him an innocent smile.

Charles let out an exasperated sigh and set some money on the countertop. "Right, Raven, get your coat, please. Where's Amaya? We're leaving."

"She's getting a drink and having a nice talk." Raven looked over to Amaya only to see her laugh lightly at something the brunet had said. "It seems like she's enjoying it."

Charles followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. The last thing he would have expected was for Amaya to be social, especially in that sense. He walked over and cleared his throat, earning both the man and Amaya's attention.

"We're leaving," he said.

"Give me a moment."

"Oh I'm sorry," the man apologized. "Boyfriend?"

"Just an old friend." Amaya waved that thought away and finished the rest of her drink. "Thank you for the conversation and the drinks, Caleb."

He smiled and brought one of her hands to his lips. "It was my pleasure. Hope to see you again, Amaya."

The corners of her lips curled up at the gesture before he released her hand and allowed her to follow Charles. She shrugged on her coat and stepped outside.

"Do not talk to me, you did that on purpose," Charles spoke irritably.

"I did not," Raven countered. "Why would I do it on purpose you know I can't control it sometimes when I'm stressed or tired."

"You seem to be doing a perfectly good job right now."

She rolled her eyes. "Mutant and proud. Seems like it only counts for pretty mutations or invisible ones like yours. If you're a freak, you'd better hide."

"You're being ridiculous," he chuckled. "Look, I don't mean to sound like an old fart-"

"Which you do and you are," Amaya commented absentmindedly.

"Agreed." Raven nodded.

"Sometimes, and thank you Amaya." He sighed. "We've talked about this. A small slip up is one thing. A big one does not bear thinking about."

Raven scoffed and continued on, obviously frustrated with how the conversation had went. Amaya walked over and linked arms with her, remaining silent. She never really did know what to say when they had their sibling quarrels, so she always offered a silent consolation.

"Whatever," she grumbled before turning to the raven head beside her. "And you, have you always been that social when it comes to bars? You never really do come with us."

"Not really social. Just social enough to have a nice talk and free drinks."

"You were certainly having a nice enough talk with that guy, what was his name?"

"Caleb."

"Caleb. He made you laugh, actually laugh." Raven grinned and nudged her. "I'm sure he's hoping to see you again."

"Maybe he will. He did give me his number."

Charles blinked and turned to her. "I'm sorry, what?"

She held up a slip of paper that he had placed in her hand earlier when she kissed it. "He's got moves, I'll admit. We talked about meeting at another bar sometime."

"Is that what you do when you leave? Go out and meet guys?"

"Nah. I go out for walks, to bars, dancing. I meet a lot of people. Sometimes they give me their number, sometimes I just hang out with them. Sometimes I call and we make plans."

"So you have several men's numbers and this is the first we've ever heard of it?"

"You never asked."

"It never crossed my mind. Besides, that man was far too old for you."

"Yes, Caleb is two years older than me. Why, he's almost old enough to be my father! What a scandal!"

Raven couldn't help but snicker while Charles rolled his eyes. "Thank you for your sarcasm, Amaya, that is much appreciated. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't go out with men you meet at bars."

"Give that advice to the women you try and pick up, Charles. You're working at a double standard here."

"You know I'm just trying to protect you two."

"Yes, and I appreciate that, but surprisingly enough, we are adults and we can make our own decisions, Charles. I'm pretty sure that I have enough sense to choose who I want to spend time with, who I want to date, and who I even want to screw- Crap."

"Excuse me, _what_ was that?"

"Nothing, c'mon Raven." Amaya quickly grabbed Raven and started walking at a faster pace.

"You know he's going to give you a lecture or something later," she laughed.

"He always does." Amaya sighed. "What a fun night this is going to be."

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**Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review! Tell me what you think of Amaya so far maybe? I like feedback owo**


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting the CIA Douches

**Hey guys~ I'm on a roll today, two chapters on the same day? Gasp. Glad you're liking the story so far, I certainly am having a lot of fun writing it. Hope you're liking Amaya too, if not, sorry, if you are, yay~ Anyway, to answer imjaysong, Charles is the same age as he is in First Class... Which I have no idea. I couldn't find a clear answer to how old he is there but from what I've seen online, he's somewhere in his twenties, mid to late. Anyone have an answer? I've been kind of curious too. The only specific answer I've found is that he's around 27?**

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Amaya watched in amusement as the crowd chanted for Charles to drink the rest of his substantially large amount of alcohol. Figures, celebrate a successful presentation with getting drunk. That was very professional. She chuckled and took a sip of her own drink. Raven took a seat next to her and sipped on her cola.

"You do know you can just slip a drink. Charles won't notice," Amaya said.

"Yeah, but he'll find out sooner or later and there goes drinking for the rest of my life."

"I'm pretty sure he won't let you drink at all in your life."

Raven laughed. "Well, that's Charles for you."

"Drinking and picking up girls? Does he do this every time you guys go out to drink?"

"Well, not _every_ time- Mostly, yes. Then I get annoyed and cut in."

"Little Raven jealous? Wants all the older brother attention. So cute," she cooed, pinching the girl's cheek.

"Cut it out," she laughed, swatting at her. "I just don't like being ditched and watching girls fawn over my brother. It's weird."

"Well, it's not like they've got nothing to fawn over. He does have a few good assets."

"Like what?"

Amaya looked over to Charles in thought as he spoke with another woman. "He's not necessarily unattractive, and the accent works very well. Not to mention he's pretty smart and his hair's fun to mess up- What?" She raised an eyebrow at the look Raven was giving her.

"Are you admitting your crush on my brother, Amaya?" she teased.

"Crush? Please. I don't get crushes."

"But you're admitting you like him."

"What I'm admitting is that I can see why some girls fawn over him. Understanding why doesn't mean I like him in that sense."

Raven grinned. "You do though, don't you? I saw the way you looked at him when you were talking about him. Aw, you like him!"

"Raven, I do not." She shook her head and downed the rest of her drink with a chuckle.

"Do not what?" Charles asked, walking over with the woman.

"She claims she doesn't have a crush on you and I'm calling bull," she explained.

"You have a crush on me?" He looked to Amaya.

Amaya rolled her eyes. "No, I don't. What I said was that I can see why girls like you is all."

"She thinks you're attractive." Raven waggled her eyebrows and nudged Charles.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I admit that I find you attractive," Amaya sighed. "But that in no way means that I necessarily have feelings for you in that way. Someone just got hit with the pretty stick is all." She shrugged indifferently and grabbed her bag.

He couldn't help but smile a bit at the confession. "How flattering, thank you, my dear. This is Moira MacTaggert. There is something very important we must talk about at home."

"Important or 'important'?"

"She's part of the CIA. It's very important."

Amaya and Raven shared a look before placing money on the table and following them out. This was serious if the CIA was involved, and add in Charles right after his genetic thesis, Amaya had a feeling it would involve more mutants than just them.

.:-:-:.

Turned out her initial feeling was right. It involved several other mutants than just them and included a long boring flight to Virginia, the earliest flight they could find which of course involved little to no packing and no sleep. Then there was the long boring meeting they were currently stuck in. At least, it was long and boring to Amaya and maybe Raven, she didn't know. She'd gotten no sleep on the plane, no sleep on the car ride. She sat in a corner away from everyone else and continuously tuned in and out of the presentation Charles gave. It was difficult to focus when she was running on little sleep. How the others were perfectly fine was beyond her. Maybe they slept, she didn't know.

"MacTaggert, you really think that some crackpot scientist is going to make me believe in  
sparkly dames and vanishing men?"

Amaya blinked and tuned back into the conversation, playing with a few strands of her long, black hair.

"You just bought yourself a one-way ticket back to the typing pool. This meeting is over."

She snorted. He sounded like a complete douche. Then again, all of the people she's met who were in authority acted like a complete douche as well.

"Please sit down, Agent MacTaggert," Charles said. "I didn't really expect you to believe me, given that all you could think about during my presentation was what sort of pie they were serving in the commissary. It's apple pecan. I haven't been entirely honest with you, love. I'm sorry. You see, one of the many spectacular things my mutation allows me to do  
is that I can read your mind."

"I've seen this before in a magic show," one of the men chuckled. "Are you going to ask us to think of a number between one and 10 now?"

"No, Agent Stryker. Although, I could ask you about your son, William, who you were thinking about, which is very nice. But I think I'd rather ask you about the Jupiter missiles America are currently placing in Turkey."

Amaya mentally winced. That wasn't the best thing to say to in a room of CIA agents in a highly secure building with secretive and sensitive information.

"He's a goddamn spy. You brought a goddamned spy into this facility!"

She sighed and continued to play with her hair as the group began to argue, very loudly, she noted. She grew irate quickly when she had enough sleep. When she had no sleep, she was always irritated and the constant arguments didn't help at all. It grew annoying very quickly. She gripped her hair tighter and growled frustratedly, jaw set. Can they not just sit down and shut up for five minutes and give them time to explain everything? How can she remain in control of her powers when she can't focus? For God's sake these people were annoying. Surprisingly enough, they _did_ stop talking and complete silence fell upon the room.

"There is a god," Amaya said, relieved that the noise had finally stopped.

Charles let out a muffled sound, turning to her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she looked up. Raven was in her natural blue form and everyone in the room was bound to their seats and gagged by ribbon like shadows. Her eyes widened and she quickly dissipated them, much to their relief.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized. "I just- No sleep... I can't control it that well..."

Charles rubbed at his throat. "How's that for a magic trick?"

Raven walked over to her and took a seat next to her, placing a hand over hers. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just really tired. You know how my abilities are linked with my emotions and feelings. I just got irritated and lost control, sorry. I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

She shook her head and transformed back to her human form. "You didn't, don't worry. Kind of reminds me of when we were kids when we first found you."

"Yeah, sorry about that too."

"Don't worry about it."

"Amaya, Raven." They glanced up to Charles. "We're leaving, come on."

Raven nodded and stood up, giving Amaya's hand one last pat before standing up and following the man in black out. Amaya got up and began to follow her until Charles placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, yeah."

"It's not like you to lose control of your abilities."

"It's not like me to _use_ my abilities." That was true. She rarely used her powers for anything. Sometimes when she was bored she'd play with a stray shadow or use them to travel from place to place quickly, but it she didn't use them often. "I'm just stressed and tired."

"Are you sure? Your mind is in disarray. I don't believe it's just from being stressed and tired."

"Stay out of my mind, Charles," she sighed, heading out of the room.

"I'm not in your mind. I can feel how it is from here. You know you can talk to us about it."

"I do. It's my choice not to."

"Sometimes I wish that you'd open up to us more after all of this time, Amaya." Charles gave her a small smile and patted her head before catching up to the other two.

She remained a few feet back, a frown set on her face. The last time she lost control, many people got hurt. She thought everything was fine, she'd been able to keep it together for many years now. Maybe one or two shaky times, but nothing that may have put people in danger like now. She could have hurt them, or worse, she could have killed them.

Charles had two fingers pressed against his temple. She guessed he was having a conversation with that agent, Moira, was it? She was the one who went to them in the first place. Must have been a large surprise to find out that they were mutants. All she hoped right now was that she didn't screw things up for them, attacking the CIA like that. Good going, Amaya.

Raven wandered over and linked arms with her, giving her a reassuring smile. She found herself smiling back as they made their way to the garage.

"I've always known that there were people like you out there. I've been the laughing stock of this agency for years, but I knew it! You are going to love my facility," the man in black chattered, obviously excited for what he had just found out.

"That's going to have to wait," Charles said.

"Why?"

"Agent MacTaggert has a lead on Sebastian Shaw, and if we don't move now, apparently, we're going to lose him."

Amaya stiffened at the mention of that name. Sebastian Shaw. Raven cast her a confused look which asked a silent question, but she didn't respond.

"What?" the man in black asked.

"Not only can he read minds, he can communicate with them as well," Raven said as a black car pulled up, getting inside.

Charles opened the one of the doors and smiled inside. "Moira and I have just had a lovely conversation."

"Yes, we did," she chimed.

"That is incredible! But I cannot take you anywhere else without permission from upstairs."

"Like to see one more magic trick?" Charles asked.

"Okay."

"Get in the car."

"Good idea."

Raven watched in entertainment. She loved when he did that trick to others, it was pretty fun to watch.

Charles settled in his seat and looked out the window. "Amaya, come on. We need to get to Shaw while we can."

"I'll meet you guys there. I honestly rather not be crammed in a car and be stuck on another long, boring plane ride. Just tell me where and send me an image."

He nodded hesitantly. It was obvious that she was troubled, but he knew that if he asked once again she'd get even more irritated. "Don't do anything regrettable, no bars- And no screwing people," he added for good measure.

She cracked a small smile like he hoped she would. "No promises. I'll see you guys there."

In the blink of an eye, she was gone. The man in black looked around quickly with wide eyes in search of where she may have gone but there was no trace.

"She's able to travel by shadow as well," Charles explained. "Let's head to the airport, Moira."

The woman nodded and began driving. As she did, Charles leaned back against his seat and focused on connecting to Amaya's mind for even a hint of where she might have gone. He had a feeling Shaw had something to do with Amaya's past and whatever it was, she didn't want to tell anybody, even them. It didn't matter anyhow if he figured it out or not. He planned on keeping that promise he made her a long time ago. He was going to keep her safe.

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**Alright~ Chapter three is up! Anyone maybe have a clue to Amaya's relation to Shaw? It's kinda obvious from how I see it, but well, I'm also writing the story, so maybe that's why. Anyway~ Don't forget to review! Thanks lovelies!**


	4. Chapter 4: Shadow against the Devil

_**Three**_** chapters in one day? What? Good thing there was no school today. Been writing for this the whole time. And guys, twenty two follows. ****_Twenty two_**** in four chapters? That's crazy insane! It makes me feel so happy and bubbly inside! Thank you, just thank you. *w* I hope you enjoy this chapter~ **

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By the time they arrived in Florida and found Shaw's yacht, the stars had already come out. It was a good cover since they wouldn't be able to see them if their boat's lights were off. Raven remained inside, though she wasn't too happy about that, while Charles, Moira, and the man in black kept watch on Shaw. There wasn't too much activity on the ship, at least not yet. Charles mentally called Amaya, a difficult feat considering she was rather far from where they were and he didn't actually _know_ where she was. Nevertheless, he was able to find her mind and contact her.

A few seconds later, Charles jolted forward against the railing at the newfound weight on his back. He didn't have to look to know who it was. Amaya booped him on the nose before hopping off of his back and leaning against the railing.

"You're drunk," Charles observed. Her mind was a frenzy and he could already see the effects of the alcohol working. "How many drinks have you had?"

"Not enough to be drunk enough for this~" she hummed, hopping up onto the railing to take a seat. "I can still see and walk straight. And think straight. Kind of. I'm still on point on my aim though. What's going on?"

"We found Shaw's boat-"

"Well I can see that. I mean, what's the game plan? And where's Raven? She'd love to be up here."

"Raven's inside, where you'll be when the confrontation happens," he replied.

"I'm sorry, what? Confrontation?"

"Some from the US Coast Guard are already on their way out there to bring him in-" Moira began.

Amaya choked. "I'm sorry, _what_? Whose bloody idea was that? You saw the mutants Shaw has and you saw what he could do. This is a man who's willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants no matter who or what gets in his way and you're sending _normal_ _humans_ out there to try and reprimand him? They won't make it halfway to the fucking yacht!"

"Amaya," Charles scolded. "Watch your language. If there's a chance to work this out civilly, then we will. We're not here to fight."

"That may be _your_ intention, but that's not _his_. I am _not_ drunk enough for this." She rolled her eyes and fell backwards from the railing, disappearing before she could fall too far.

Charles sighed exasperatedly and pressed two fingers to his temple, focusing on Shaw.

"This is the US Coast Guard," one of the people announced from their speedboats. "Do not attempt to move your vessel. Stay where you are."

He furrowed his eyebrows when he couldn't see them anymore. "I've lost Shaw. I've lost Shaw. There's something blocking me. This has never happened to me before. I think there's someone like me on that ship."

"Like you?" Moira questioned.

Right, she didn't know what he necessarily was. "I'm sorry, a telepath. This is incredible. I could actually feel her inside my mind. I'm very sorry, but I don't think I'm gonna be much help tonight. You're on your own."

They kept their eyes on the boat, watching as a man clad in a gray suit stepped up to the railing. Tornadoes danced in his open palms and stirred the wind restlessly.

"Oh my god," Charles breathed. He was going to break the boats.

Before he could even unleash his violent winds, Amaya dropped down and knocked both him and herself into the water. He was able to release the attack as he fell. It didn't hit his target as he wanted, but it did stop the boats. Charles couldn't help but stare at what just happened. Was she honestly going to take them on? He sensed that there were nothing but mutants on that yacht and he wouldn't be able to help if that telepath was there. He frowned and sought Amaya's mind out but the other telepath was still blocking up. Charles mentally swore and turned around to head into the boat for safety.

"Get inside," he said.

Amaya rose to the surface of the water and took several deep breaths before disappearing and reappearing on the deck, this time with intent on taking out the telepath to allow Charles access. She couldn't even reach the telepath when a red skinned man appeared in front of her. She quickly jumped backwards, narrowly dodging the blade he was holding. She wasn't able to keep an eye on where the telepath and Shaw were going, too busy with keeping alive in the fight.

"Azazel," she sneered.

His lips curled up into a malicious smile. "Amaya."

The pleasantries were cut short when the whole boat rocked. She glanced down the deck to see a large chain cut through the top before going back to swing around the ship. Her eyes widened. Who the hell was doing _that_? She couldn't dwell on it for too long considering Azazel threw another attack at her. Amaya cursed and continuously dodged, following his lead on the quick teleportation to avoid the relentless attacks he was initiating. She remembered how his greatest asset. He was a skilled warrior and his tail proved very useful in fighting, but it was his teleportation abilities that brought everything together. He'd be able to keep the enemy confused and searching for him, only finding him once it was too late. What made it worse was that he was fast, very fast.

Amaya began to grow tired. She knew she was but she couldn't feel it, the adrenaline pumping through her veins preventing her from doing so. She ducked under the large chain that threatened to hit her and turned to find Azazel, but she couldn't, and she knew that was her downfall. She wouldn't be able to keep up the fight, and he knew it. She kept on her toes, ready to attack once more, and then flee. Locating him was hard, there was never any sign of his arrival prior to, but after fighting him often, she knew his tricks. He was pretty predictable. Even if she wasn't too confident in it, it was the only thing she could do besides running, and she _definitely_ couldn't do that. There was nothing to ensure that he wouldn't appear on the Coast Guard ship to finish the fight. Doing that would only endanger everyone else, and there was no way in hell she was going to endanger Charles and Raven like that.

Her ears twitched and she turned around just as she sensed him there. Amaya got ready to throw her own attack until she felt a sharp, burning pain in her right shoulder where the blade was buried deep. She tore it from her body and gripped the newfound injury tightly, gritting her teeth to keep from screaming at the pain. Azazel smirked at her and grabbed her by the neck before disappearing again. When they reappeared, they were far above the water. Amaya grasped the hand that was clenched around her throat, clawing at it to let her go and give her lungs the air that she was losing. At the same time, if he dropped her, she wouldn't be able to get back. He knew she was injured and far too tired to shadow travel once again. His smirk only widened as his hand released her and he disappeared to find Riptide and meet up with Shaw.

The pain of Amaya's impact with the water spread across her body and she bit back a scream as her wound stung even more at the presence of salt water. The temperature was absolutely freezing and she could literally feel her heart begin to slow. Her lungs were burning in desperate need for oxygen, but she couldn't move. The adrenaline was fading away and left behind a sore ache. She could barely see the light from the yacht anymore, darkness around the edges of her vision. She felt herself begin to panic but she couldn't even do that. No, it was night. Darkness was her element. She wouldn't just be left here. She _had_ to be able to do something. This was when she was strongest, after all.

.:-:-:.

Charles pulled Erik back onto the Coast Guard boat, breathing heavily. He gratefully took the towels they were offered and began to walk back inside the ship where Raven was and hopefully Amaya. It would be much easier to talk there and dry off where it was much warmer. Upon his arrival, Raven immediately stood up and engulfed him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and then glanced around the cabin, looking for a familiar black haired girl.

"Where's Amaya?" Charles asked.

Raven stepped back and shook her head. She hadn't seen her at all, not since Virginia.

Charles frowned and turned back around. "Search the waters, Amaya isn't back yet. She has to be there."

"We don't have any more boats to go out from here, and it might be too late if we call shore to send some. It's the middle of the night, there aren't too many people on duty," someone replied.

"Then swim out there and find her. I'm not leaving until we do."

"I'm going too," Raven said.

"No, you're not. You're staying right here."

"I've _been_ staying right here! She's my friend too, Charles. She's practically my sister and I'm helping you find her!"

They jumped, turning to the middle of the cabin when they heard ragged breaths and coughing. Relief flooded through Charles when he laid eyes on the drenched girl. Thank God she was alive. Raven ran over to her and quickly pulled her into a hug only to jerk back when Amaya let out a scream. Raven's eyes widened upon seeing the large cut through her clothes and skin. "She needs help!"

Charles rushed over and helped her sit up, carefully removing her wet jacket. "Get the medical kit," he ordered. "Get towels and warm water, and something dry for her to wear."

Raven nodded and left the room in search for what they needed.

Charles helped Amaya over to one of the seats where he'd be able to patch up the injury. Her hand was pressed tightly against the wound in a meager attempt to protect it from further harm and place pressure on it, but she was far too tired and had already lost a lot of blood. Her clothes drenched in it and he could feel her mind slipping.

"Stay awake, Amaya," he murmured, sitting down next to her. Raven brought in the medical supplies and warm water before running out again to find her something dry for later. Charles took a pair of scissors and began to cut around the injury, but it was difficult to tell where exactly it ended because of how blood stained her shirt was. Amaya wordlessly took it off, but not without difficulty and a groan of pain. He took the towel that was wrapped around his shoulders and gave it to her. She placed it under her arms, like a bath towel, but kept it low enough so that it didn't touch or cover any part of her injury.

He nearly felt his throat close up at the sight. It was a complete mess. Her skin was stained with blood and bruises and it was _still_ bleeding. He began to clean the wound to get a better view. Amaya hissed in pain every now and then, but other than that she remained quiet, her head resting against the wall and her eyes shut. If it weren't the noises of pain she let out, he would have thought she was sleeping. Even when it was clean, it was still a horrible mess. He could see the torn muscle and even bit of bone. The blade had grazed it.

"You reckless child," he reprimanded, getting a needle ready. "You reckless, _reckless_ child."

Amaya could feel the tension in his voice, the anger, but she didn't reply.

"What in blazes were you _thinking_? Going out there alone? That was the most stupid thing you've done to date. Honestly."

"Oh saving the lives of six, seven US service men? What a stupid thing to do indeed," she murmured, tiredly.

"They would have been fine. They're fine now. The whirlwinds only got their boats. You on the other hand are bleeding extensively and are falling unconscious. Do you even _think_ of the consequences of your actions?" He knew he was being accusatory. He knew that he should be taking a calmer tone, but he couldn't.

"They would have been ripped to shreds. I saved them and kept six to seven families from mourning at the loss of a loved one and even more people from mourning the loss of a friend. So yes. I do think of the consequences of my actions," she snarled. "How fucking dare you anyway? I wasn't the ones who sent them to their deaths! I fucking _saved_ them for fucks' sake!"

"Watch your language, Amaya," he ground out. "You almost drowned."

"I didn't."

"But you almost did. You would have. What were you thinking shadow traveling that much? You know how much energy that requires! You could have thought out this whole thing before jumping straight into it like a barbarian."

Amaya swatted his hand away before he could pierce her skin with the needle and start sewing her wound. She stood up and began to leave the cabin.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I don't _think_ I'm going anywhere, I _know_ I'm going to find Raven or someone else to sew up my goddamn wound. Someone who won't fucking insult me and make me feel like even more crap than I feel right now. I know what I fucking did. I know it was fucking reckless. Lay the fuck off Charles." She was absolutely seething, eyes flashing in pain.

Charles couldn't remember a time he'd seen her that angry before. He sighed in defeat. "Amaya... Come back here."

"No. You're making me feel like crap."

"I promise I won't let you feel like crap. Come back here before I have to clean the wound again. It's starting to bleed out."

She trudged back over and sat in her seat again. Her body was tense and aggravation practically radiated off of her. He could hear her cursing at him in her mind and swearing at Shaw, Azazel, and whoever else she was angry at. Her mind suddenly went blank and all of the anger was replaced with exhaustion. She was tired of being angry, tired of fighting, tired of being in pain.

Charles continued to close her wound and once he was finished, he cleaned it off once more before cleaning up the mess and the blood off of his hands. "I apologize for the things I've said. I did not mean to hurt you or 'make you feel like crap'."

Amaya snorted.

"You have no idea how worried we were, how worried I was. I couldn't feel you on that ship, and I couldn't feel your mind even when you were in the water. I felt powerless. How am I supposed to protect you when you keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations like that where I cannot do anything?"

"I'm not a child. I don't need to be protected."

"I promised you I would protect you, and I intend to do so. I plan on protecting you and Raven as much as I can. You're my best friends and I rather not see either of you end up in the hospital or worse..."

She felt guilty. She never wanted to worry them. So much for that. Amaya shifted so that she could lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder while throwing part of the towel around him as well. "You're wet," she said once he finished cleaning up and relaxed.

"I jumped in the water to save Erik. I was about to jump in to find you if you hadn't appeared."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. You're here now, and we're all safe." He gently wrapped an arm around her, making sure to avoid her bad shoulder. "Sleep, I know you're tired and you're barely even awake now."

Amaya curled up against his side and shut her eyes. Sleep came easily after all of the exhaustion and loss of blood. The last thing she recalled before falling unconscious was the warmth and feeling of safety that radiated off of him.

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**So, did you guys enjoy? Hope you did. Man, I just love hurting Amaya, don't I? This is the longest chapter yet, seven pages on Open Office. Wow. Tell me what you guys think about it with that little button that says review maybe? See you in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: To the Base

**I check my email during one of my open studies and could ****_not_**** stop smiling. Thank you for all of the reviews and the favorites and the follows, guys! You have no idea how much they mean to me and they only make me want to write even more. Have a semi-loopy Amaya in this chapter. Ever have those meds that make you just really loopy? I haven't. I wanna see how I'm like if I'm ever on one of those though, like laughing gas. I wanna be laughing gassed at least once in my life.**

**Anyway! So apparently Charles is 24 in first class, thanks for that Crystal! That would make Amaya 20 and Raven somewhere in between. Is Raven younger than Charles? I think I read somewhere that their headcanon was that she was 2 years younger than him? Anyone have a definite answer or is that not a thing? Anywho, enjoy!**

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That morning, they arrived at the covert CIA base the man in black was taking them to. Stuffing four people in the back seat wasn't a good idea. Stuffing four mutants where one of them injured and heavily medicated and another wasn't too comfortable with others is an even worse idea. Amaya was crammed in between Charles and Raven, sitting forward so that her shoulder wasn't squished.

"This is the most uncomfortable seating in the history of uncomfortable seating," she complained.

"I know," Raven agreed. "I can barely move."

"My ass hurts."

"We're almost there. Just be patient," Charles said.

"My ass _hurts_. It's being squished between your ass and Raven's ass. You have a big ass."

Raven stifled a snicker and Moira smiled. Even Erik looked amused. Charles on the other hand, was tired. Ever since she'd started taking the pain killers it was like she was a child and complained about everything. "I do not have a big arse."

"Yeah you do. Your ass takes invades the seat where Raven's ass is supposed to be. You have a big ass."

"The seat is small. By that logic, Erik invades that seat as well."

"But I don't know Erik so I can't say he has a big ass. You, I do know, and I know well. You have a large ass."

By now Moira, the man in black, and Raven were holding in their laughter. Erik was chuckling silently at the absurdity of the conversation. Charles sighed and pulled Amaya off of her seat and set her on his legs, spreading her legs over Raven and Erik's. "Is your arse squished now?"

"I apologize for insulting your ass. You have a petite ass that is actually nice now please set me back down because this is embarrassing."

"Then it is a good punishment as well for the last few minutes of this car ride."

"Why can't you put Raven on your lap and let me have her seat?"

"Raven wasn't complaining and she wasn't the one sitting next to me insulting my arse."

"This is stupid," she mumbled dejectedly.

"If it keeps you from complaining, then it's fine."

"Your legs are uncomfortable."

"It's not too far."

"How long is not too far?"

As if on cue, Moira parked the car and stepped out of it. Charles opened the door and helped Amaya out of it. "Now, is not too far," he said.

"You're annoying when you're sassy."

"You're annoying when you're on medication," he countered, following the man in black.

Amaya gaped at him and snapped her fingers with a huff as Raven laughed and linked arms with her good arm. "Well that was cute."

"Oh don't get started."

Raven merely grinned and walked in with the rest of them.

"Welcome to my facility," the man in black spoke. "My mission has been to investigate  
the application of paranormal powers in military defense."

"Or offense," Erik added.

"Fun, we don't get to go home yet. I miss my bed."

Charles shook his head and shot her a warning look, asking her to behave before turning back to the man when he continued talking.

"This guy Shaw, Schmidt, whatever you want to call him-"

"Asshole."

"He's working with the Russians. We might need your help to stop him."

Amaya scoffed and Charles shot her another warning look, daring for her to say her thoughts, but she didn't. "Marvelous. So we're to be the CIA's new mutant division, yes?" he asked.

"Something like that."

Raven tugged Amaya into the building and looked around interestedly. The man in black didn't really give a tour of the place. He merely talked about future plans and led them into what seemed to be a hanger. A hanger. The facility had a hanger. Amaya whistled as she walked in. Some of the CIA may be ignorant douches, but damn they had money. Though it wasn't as if she wasn't used to it. Growing up with Charles meant living the fancy life in that giant mansion. Money was never a problem but still. Damn. She glanced over to Charles to see if he was interested in anything in the building like they were, only to find him gawking at the plane model in front of them.

Amaya couldn't help but snicker seeing how his face lit up like a kid's during Christmas. _Nerd_ she thought.

_That's rather rude, it's an amazing piece._

Amaya almost jumped. She didn't think he would have heard that. Then again, she almost always forgot that he could hear other people's thoughts without trying. _You're still a nerd._

_And you're still annoying._

She huffed and crossed her arms. At least, she tried to. Her injured arm was in a sling to keep it from moving and putting stress on her shoulder. She heard Charles chuckle and pull her in a one sided hug, though careful of her shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at him.

_I'm still mad at you._

_Of course you are, love_.

She didn't miss the look that Raven was giving her. She stuck her tongue out at the blonde as well. Of course he was being nice to her. She was injured. If it was Raven he would've been the same way. It wasn't like he was acting any differently to how he usually acts with them.

"It's a supersonic," a young man said, joining them. "The most advanced plane ever built. You should see it in real life. It's incredible."

The man in black smiled. "Hank, these are the special new recruits I was telling you about. This is Hank McCoy, one of our most talented young researchers."

Charles eagerly stepped forward and shook his hand. "How wonderful. Another mutant, already here." He turned to the man in black. "Why didn't you say?"

"Say what?"

"Because you don't know... I am so, so terribly sorry." Charles scolded himself. If Hank hadn't told him that he was a mutant, then there had to be a reason and he just blew it for him. Great job, Charles.

"Hank?"

Hank shrugged unsurely. "You didn't ask, so I didn't tell..."

"So, your mutation is what? You're super-smart?" Raven asked.

"He definitely looks smart," Amaya chimed in, smirking a little at the look Hank had on his face when he saw Raven. How cute.

"I'll say." Charles smiled. "Hank here graduated Harvard at the age of 15."

"I wish that's all it was..." He admitted.

"You're among friends now, Hank. You can show off."

He hesitantly began taking off his shoes which definitely peaked their interest. When he took his socks off, they understood. Amaya watched on and whistled. "Okay guys, that's cool."

"Splendid." Charles chuckled.

Hank glanced around, feeling more comfortable upon the look of bewilderment and the smiles on their faces. He still felt rather awkward, but not as much as before. He carefully stepped around them where they had gathered to look at his feet and stood in front of the model airplane. He looked at them for a moment before jumping and flipping so that his feet were able to grip onto the edge of the plane. "Ta-da..." His hands were out as if he were doing a magic trick and the group laughed and clapped. They didn't miss the broad smile on his face when he saw how pleased they were.

Raven moved closer and grinned, looking up at his feet before meeting his eyes. "You're amazing."

"Really?"

She laughed and nodded. "Of course."

"Dude. I want one," Amaya suddenly said.

The group turned to her and looked at her questionably, whether she meant the mutation or someone like Hank, or maybe even the plane, they didn't know. She had said some of the most random things on the ride back to the facility they weren't really that affected by it anymore, but still. It was an absurd thing to say.

"Want one what exactly?" Charles asked.

"Feet on my hands- No. Hands on my feet- Feet on-" She furrowed her eyebrows in thought for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "Whatever he has. I wanna do that. I like climbing on things with my feet. Sounds like fun."

Charles blinked. Was she being serious? From the look on her face, she was. "A- No."

She pouted. "Come on. No hand feet? No shapeshifting? No mental brain thing? You've got a stick up your ass. You should get it out. I wanna have hand feet."

Charles rubbed his temples. "We need to get you other pain medication."

Amaya paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right. I just heard myself saying that stuff and just... I need new meds."

Raven couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, but Amaya's entertaining when she's on these meds."

"Yeah! I'm awesome on these meds!"

"We are going to get you new meds. Come now, we should change your bandages."

He placed a hand on her lower back and turned her down a hall. Amaya huffed, but let him lead her to the room she was going to be using in for the duration of their stay. It wasn't too far from the hanger, but it was a good distance away. Once they were inside she took a seat on the bed as Charles got a new fresh set of bandages from the first aid kit. He froze in the bathroom doorway when he saw her taking off her shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking off my shirt...? You kind of need to see the wound to clean it. You were perfectly fine about it on the ship."

"At least put on a robe or something. You had a towel on the ship."

She raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Is Charles scared of a little black bra?"

"It's inappropriate for me to see you in a bra," he corrected, sitting down behind her and watched as she swept all of her hair to her opposite shoulder so that it wouldn't get in the way. Charles sighed. "Amaya."

"What?"

"I know we've known each other for years, but really. I'm still a man. It's not appropriate."

"Charles, it's not like I'm naked. I apologize for my back turning you on. I believe you need counseling if that's what turns you on."

He rolled his eyes and began cleaning and disinfecting the wound. He couldn't tell whether it was still the pills talking or not. He knew she'd still be saying those things even if she wasn't on them. He continued his work nevertheless, rolling on another clean bandage afterward.

"There," Amaya said. "Now was that so hard?"

"I should be asking you that," he chuckled. "You know it's going to scar."

"Then it could go with the others. That'll make it four, I think."

"Four?"

"Four." She nodded and shifted on the bed, leaning forward a bit so he could see a couple of them. "There's one on my lower back, another across my hip, and one on my leg."

Charles frowned and followed the markings of her previous injuries. How had she even gotten these? Were they all from before he and Raven had found her? He could only imagine the pain she must have been in because of them and how much worse things may have been if they hadn't found her. His fingers lightly traced the one on her back, causing her to shiver lightly. Charles froze. "My apologies."

"No, it's fine. I didn't expect you to want to touch them is all. Feel free to. Though warning, I will squirm if you touch the one on my hip. I'm ticklish there."

He looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Where? Here?" He ran his fingers over the scar on her hip. As expected Amaya laughed and shifted away.

She turned around and shot him a glare. "No."

"No? Not there? How about here?"

"No as in no tickling-" She couldn't even finish talking when Charles started tickling her, making her squirm. "Son of a-" She breathed, desperately trying to block his hands.

"I believe it's a proper revenge for your earlier comments." He knew it was uncharacteristic of him and very childish, but he continued to relentlessly tickle the writhing girl next to him. He couldn't help but grin at the sound of her happy laugh. It was something rare, something he barely ever heard even when she was a kid. Her smile wasn't one that came out too often either. It took forever to even get her to talk to them before, and now he was able to make her laugh. Granted, tickling made everyone laugh, but nevertheless it filled him with joy. He didn't know what hardship she'd gone through in the past, but he knew that it was something that would stay with her for the rest of her life. He'd seen how sometimes she'd have this dark look or one of sorrow. He knows that she brushes off their questions and doesn't want to bring them into it. Taking away the pain for a moment or two was enough for him for now.

Amaya lay as a heaving heap by the time Charles had stopped tickling her. She sat up and threw him a playful glare, one that wasn't effective at all. "And you call _me_ a child."

"Because you are, my dear."

"I'm not the one who just tickled someone to death for revenge. Shit damn my abs hurts now," she whined, wrapping her arms around herself.

He chuckled and looked up as the door opened, his sister's blonde head peaking in. She eyed how breathless they were and their messy hair. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Your brother just killed me. Death by Charles," Amaya said, sitting with her back against the headrest. "My poor abs."

Raven giggled and joined them on the bed. "So that's what the laughter was all about."

"Yeah. Which I will get revenge for. So, Rae-Rae...?" Amaya redirected her attention to the girl and gave her a look.

"So...?" She questioned back.

"Hank."

"What about him?"

She rolled her eyes. "He was so interested in you."

"Was he?"

"Did you not see the way he looked at you? That's probably the first time a pretty girl has complemented him on his mutation. You know how insecure the guy is about it? Very. And I can tell just by looking. Are you hanging out with him later or am I going to have to do a little something something?"

"He's taking some of my blood later for analysis-"

"Great. Then it's a date."

"It's just for research." Raven rolled her eyes. "Besides, he probably only likes me because I look pretty now. Honestly."

"At least _try_. You _never_ go after guys. Like ever."

"And thank you for that," Charles cut in.

"Sh, she's not a kid anymore, Charles. At least mingle. You never know, you might actually like the guy." Amaya stood up and started heading to the door, pausing at the handle. "Wait, I'm still half naked..."

Raven laughed and threw her the shirt she left on the bed. "Nice deduction."

"Guys, I need another jacket to replace my old one." She looked down at herself with a faint pout. "It doesn't feel complete without my jacket."

"We need to go out and get new clothes soon anyway. We don't know how long we're staying and we didn't pack much." Charles nodded. "I'll get you a new jacket."

"Sweet. See you two later." She gave them a wave before heading out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Raven called.

Amaya popped her head back in with a grin. "Going to find out what Hank thinks of you so far." She looked to Charles and threw him a wink before shutting the door.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm still wondering about that whole Raven thing. I just basically wanna know how old everyone is in this movie. XD I am ****_horrible_**** at estimating ages by how they look and stuff. The next chapter should be up relatively soon. I ended up typing it on my phone during school. Oops~ See you next time! Don't forget to review~**


	6. Chapter 6: Recruiting

**Another update for you guys~ The follows have almost doubled since what was it? Two chapters ago? That's amazing. That's just truly amazing. And the reviews, Crystal, you're my go to for this whole age thing. XD I really appreciate all of this guys. It makes me all bubbly.**

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Amaya let out a yawn and followed Raven over to the cafeteria, clinging onto the girl as if she'd fall, which she was sure she would. She'd gotten no sleep yet again even though she just got up and it was past noon, and that was getting annoying and tiring. Can't she have just one night where she can actually sleep? She didn't even have to dream. She wouldn't even care if it was a nightmare, as long as she slept for the whole night. This was ridiculous. Raven on the other hand looked well rested. She was going to question her later about her little "date" the previous night with Hank, but the effect wouldn't be the same with a tired Amaya. Everyone was already gathered at a table once they arrived at the cafeteria. Raven smiled at them and went to get herself some food. Amaya just took a seat next to Charles and leaned against him with another yawn.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Very."

"Eat something, it should help."

"Too tired to eat."

"Try not to fall asleep just yet, my dear. Hank has something to show us."

Amaya glanced up at the other mutant in question. "Is it interesting?"

"It's going to help us find more mutants."

"Fun. More friends." She absentmindedly stole a piece of bacon off of Raven's plate when he returned and gave her an innocent smile. "Thanks for the food, lovely~"

Raven laughed and patted her head. "You're like a little puppy when you're tired, you know that?"

She nodded and curled up next to her, resting her head on her shoulder again. "Mhm. So anyway, Hank, Rae, what happened last night? The ambiance was certainly romantic. Did you kiss?"

Hank suddenly choked on his food and quickly grabbed his glass. He downed the rest of the water, his cheeks heating up. Raven on the other hand shot her a look and hit her in the head. "No, we didn't kiss! He was taking my blood!" She protested, obviously embarrassed.

"They were about to kiss," Erik commented. "After the needle-play."

****"Ooh, kinky. Didn't realize you were into that sort of thing. Its okay guys, we all have our kinks. Be proud of it." She could barely make it through what she was saying without laughing.

"Amaya!" Raven's face had gone red. Hank's may as well have been an apple. "I swear-"

"Don't worry, Rae, I have an oblique kink. They're hot. And a hair fetish."

"Aren't we learning a lot about you today?" Erik said amusedly.

****"I'm trying to make them feel comfortable about their kinks and fetishes is all." She shrugged, taking another piece of bacon. "It's a normal thing. Even Charles has them. He won't say them, but he has em."

****"I rather not have a conversation about my sex life, thank you very much."

"No, we're having a conversation about kinks."

He shook his head and ruffled her hair before standing up. "Hank, shall we take a look at your creation?"

Hank eagerly stood up and nodded, glad for a change of subject. Raven and Erik both stood up as well. Amaya took the last piece of bacon off of Raven's tray before following them down the hall. She stayed back with Erik, glancing up at him once and a while. He kept the same passive face throughout the walk, staring straight ahead. He looked very familiar, but she wasn't too sure. Erik released an annoyed sigh and looked down at her. She stared at him for a moment longer before running up to Raven and Hank and linking their arms together and jumping back to avoid the hits she knew were coming her way. Erik raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. She seemed familiar to him. He recognized the powers she used on the boat, but he'd never actually seen them before, only mentioned. But the hidden fire in her eyes, he understood that. The anger and vengeance she kept hidden were something he knew very well.

****Hank took them across the field to where a large spherical structure stood. Amaya could only imagine what was in it and how it would be able to help find other mutants. She kept in line with the others and climbed the stairs leading into the structure. Hank continued talking with Charles excitedly about the possibilities of what they'd be able to do. Obviously Charles was a part of the equation, more specifically his abilities. He always did know if another person was a mutant or not.

****"Oh," Amaya suddenly said. "It amplifies his abilities, doesn't it? That's how you're going to find others."

Hank nodded and opened the ceiling at the top of the stairs. They stood on a platform just underneath the center of the sphere. An array of machines sat along the edge, encased by the railing. In the middle was another circular railing. Above it was a helmet-like creation with several wires connecting it to the machines in the back. "I call it Cerebro."

"As in the Spanish for 'brain'," Charles said, looking around.

"And you made this," Raven breathed.

"Yes," he admitted, rather bashfully. "Okay, so, the electrodes connect Charlesto the transmitter on the he picks up a mutant,his brain sends a signal through a relayand then the co-ordinatesof their location are printed out here."

"An amplification of his abilities that large will give one hell of a sting, you know. You're not used to expanding the coverage over what, the country? The world?" Amaya said, looking at the helmet.

"It's safe," Hank reassured. "It may be a bit painful, but it won't cause any harm."

Erik circumnavigated the inner railing as Charles got set in his position, pulling the helmet over his head. "What an adorable lab ratyou make, Charles."

"Don't spoil this for me, Erik."

"I've been a lab rat.I know one when I see one."

"Sexy," Amaya commented, hopping up onto the outer railing. "You'll definitely be getting all of the girls with that on your head, Charlie."

"Okay, great." Hank finished getting the preparations ready. "Are you sure we can't shave your head?"

"Don't touch my hair. I already have one person who refuses to leave it alone."

Amaya threw him a smirk.

"Okay..." Hank moved over to the machines and turned it on, the technology whirring to life. Charles caught Amaya's eyes and inconspicuously winked before closing his eyes. Raven caught the gesture and gave the girl a look, who merely shook her head.

They watched Charles closely, curiously waiting for something, anything to show that Cerebro was actually working. The lights began to dim and Hank quickly moved about the machines, turning everything on. The helmet suddenly glowed brightly and Charles' eyes shot open, gripping the railing tightly. He hadn't expected that sort of pressure, maybe a nasty pain, but nothing that intense. He kept his eyes straight, focusing on the many minds he was able to touch at the moment. As soon as he found a mutant, the tracker began typing down the location almost as fast as he was able to find them.

Hank's eyes widened, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "It's working!" A broad smile spread across Charles' lips, slipping out a laugh. Raven grinned, watching between Charles and the machine. It was working. Cerebro was actually working.

.:-:-:.

It wasn't too long until they had a long enough list and Charles had to rest. Extensive use at the very beginning wouldn't be the wisest choice. Besides, they already had several names to investigate and choose from. The only problem was that many of them were too young, some too old and others weren't even in the country. Finding the mutants was the easy part, the actual choosing of who to visit and recruit wasn't. They also had to take into account those who'd be willing and who'd actually listen. They sat in one of the CIA offices, going through the records Cerebro had written down. Little by little, the list was being narrowed down.

"I think we should check these few mutants," Charles suggested, marking the last few that were on the list. "At least, we should start with them."

"They're not too far from here." Erik nodded. "It shouldn't take too long."

"Great. So when are we leaving?" Raven asked.

"Ah... Apologies, Raven. But you and Amaya are staying here while Erik and I go out to recruit."

The two girls froze and turned to them incredulously. "What?"

"If this is about what happened on the boat-"

"It's not, love, I promise," he quickly cut in. "It's just the fact that four mutants approaching would be a little suspicious and maybe overwhelming for them. Erik and I will go, you two will stay here and help the CIA with whatever they need."

Raven frowned, but accepted their decision. "Fine. Amaya and I'll go out and get some new clothes-"

"Unfortunately you two will have to remain within the building and within the property."

"_What_?"

"Oh you've got to be _joking_." Amaya frowned.

"They're not necessarily comfortable with the thought of two young mutants walking around unsupervised."

"We're only a few years younger than you," Raven countered. "What, you two can walk around unsupervised but we can't? And what about Hank? He's able to walk around unsupervised." She turned to Erik for some sort of help.

The man merely shook his head. "It's not fair, we know, but we need to find these other mutants before Shaw does and before his plan can get further. The more help we have, the better, especially after we couldn't stop him on his yacht."

"So we're prisoners now, great." Amaya fell back on the couch and crossed her arms. Raven followed suit indignantly.

"You're not prisoners-"

"Being confined to one facility, having little to no freedom. I bet I can't even take a shit without having to ask someone or having someone watch me. This is such bullshit."

"Amaya-"

She knew that look on his face. She'd practically memorized it by now. It was the one he always had when he reprimanded her about her colorful choice of words. "I swear to God, Charles, if you're going to scold me on my fucking language. I'm a fucking adult. I can and I will fucking swear how many fucking times I fucking wish, especially with all of this fucking shit going on for fuck's sakes."

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh before turning to Erik to continue their prior conversation and make plans for their trip. He felt Amaya's anger flare in her mind at being ignored before she stormed out of the room. Sometimes she could just be so childish if things didn't go the way she wanted, honestly. He saw it from their point of view, but at the same time they had to understand why they couldn't go as well, especially after the little show they both put on to convince the CIA of mutants. He put that thought at the back of his mind and finished up the conversation. They were to leave in the morning, find the mutant by the afternoon, and bring them back that night if time permits. Erik gave him a nod and went to go pack. Charles rubbed his temples, he could practically hear Amaya ranting and cursing again. She could be very angry and very stubborn when she wanted to be. He turned to Raven who had stayed for the rest of the conversation.

"You understand why you two need to stay, right?"

She nodded. "I'm not necessarily happy about it, but I understand. You do know that Amaya understands why as well, right?"

"Certainly doesn't seem that way."

"It never does, but give her more credit." Raven draped an arm over her brother's shoulders and rested her head against his. "She understands. She's obviously more angry about it than I am, but she understands. She's just not used to one of us not being here, remember that field trip where I went to Spain? She threw a huge fit."

"We ended up coming along as well." Charles smiled at the memory. They even stayed at the same hotel. Amaya never liked to be apart from them. After they took her in and they grew an attachment, she never liked to be too far where she couldn't reach them. It was part of her the trauma from her early childhood, they figured out that much. "We won't be gone for too long. Besides, you'll both have more friends once we gather everyone."

"True. It'll be much more lively." Raven patted him on the back. "Go find Amaya. It always takes the one who pissed her off to calm her down anyway." She remembered that in Spain she glared and ignored Raven stubbornly until she agreed to let her sleep in the same room as the older girl.

He nodded and kissed her on the cheek before departing to find the angry mutant. It honestly wasn't difficult finding her due to her rather loud thoughts, but actually getting her to calm down would be the more difficult part. Possibly. She got angry often so they've gotten used to it and it usually took an apology, then she'd apologize, and then there would be a happy reconciliation. Of course, that began with getting to her first. It was only natural that she'd pick a more difficult place to access, the roof. She'd often go up there at the mansion. They'd always find her there and they'd always wonder how she got there so quickly and easily. Well, that was before they found out she could travel by shadows. Even after that she'd always be found on the roof, or somewhere outside, if she wasn't in her room.

Charles climbed up using the ladder and sure enough, there she sat along the other edge, staring at the sunset. Her thoughts suddenly went blank when she sensed him there. "You always did like coming up to the roof," he said, making his way over. Her thoughts remained blank and her eyes remained focused on the sky. "Amaya?"

She absolutely refused to respond.

"If I apologize, will that make things better?"

She still refused to respond or even make any acknowledgment of his presence.

"Honestly, you could at least _try_."

"There are more mutants than just us," she said.

"Well... Yes. That's why we're trying to recruit them-"

"No, Charles. There are more mutants than just _us._ They have their own minds, their own agendas, their own opinions."

"I don't see where you're going with this, love."

Amaya let out a sigh and turned to him. "What if you guys go out there and they don't agree? What if they're more violent? What if they're like Shaw? Maybe he's already gotten to them and they're working with him and they attack you. What will you do then? Let's say that you do recruit them. What if they're a spy for him? What if they end up betraying us? There are too many what ifs with these people we don't know."

"You're worried... You're not mad, you're worried..." He watched her expression waver before looking out to the sunset again.

"I don't trust too many people, you know that. I absolutely do _not_ trust those we haven't met. I don't even trust the CIA. I don't care if they're a government organization meant for the good of the people, I don't and I can't trust them. That's why I don't want to be left here. I want to at least be there. I might be able to do something if something happens."

"A little trust may go a long way. We have to hope for the best. Remember I'm a telepath, Amaya. Have a little hope in me."

"There are people who know how to block telepaths to an extent. They don't even have to be a telepath, just some control of their mind and aware... That's why you can't ever access my true thoughts even by accident. You can barely delve into my mind except for the surface."

"I know. But we may have no other choice. We need help."

"Yeah, well that's what they said too," she mumbled. Amaya stood up and began to walk towards the ladder, not feeling it in herself to shadow travel again. She felt drained mentally.

"They? Who's they?" Charles followed her with his eyes, trying to read her, but all he could find was her sorrow and her worry.

She paused and met his eyes, her eyes shining with unformed tears. "They did what you're doing now, finding help. That was the first step that led to their deaths." Without another word, she dropped down the ladder and disappeared inside.

He froze at the sight. He'd never seen her cry or even felt her threaten to break down and cry. But at that moment, Charles felt her sorrow, her forlorn thoughts. He felt how fragile she was and for a second, she let down that personality that everyone else saw and showed how she really felt. Whoever "they" were, she cared for them greatly. Whoever "they" were, she was distraught over the thought that the same thing would happen to him too. The common factor wasn't just their actions, but also Sebastian Shaw. He saw the way she tensed at his name and the way her mind reacted whenever they mentioned him. Her rage at the boat was focused on Shaw and his men. She knew them, and he had a distinct feeling it was similar to how Erik knew him.

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**So, we get a glimpse into Amaya's past. Kind of glimpse. We see why she's pretty clingy to Raven and Charles why she has trust issues. Good news, tomorrow I'll probably update another two chapters? Bringing my laptop to school since I've got nothing to do for half of it, so yay. More chapters for you guys. Any ideas who "they" might be? Maybe how they died? Send your thoughts and guesses in the reviews~ I like seeing what you guys think :3 Have a nice day/night (depending on where you live. It's like 9:45 p.m. over here right now).**


	7. Chapter 7: Blushing Game

**Hey, hey~ Updating from school, guys~ So many followers for this story, I can't. ;A; It's so amazing, I had so much hesitation on even posting the first chapter and now I can't wait to see what you guys have to say about them w Don't worry about being spoiled by the frequent updates, guys. It's a double win, I get to finish it before I lose inspiration and you guys get to read it faster. XD**

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Things didn't necessarily go as they planned. Charles and Erik got held up so it took around two to three days for them to return rather than only one. Amaya was both worried and bored, but she mostly showed boredom. She hung out with Raven and Hank often, but then she'd usually leave and let them some time alone. The awkward guy needed all the help he could get considering she highly doubted he'd actually be forward with his little crush. Plus, they were usually a lab or in Cerebro. Other times she'd try and hang out with Moira. She wasn't bad, just kind of boring for her tastes. Well, not boring. Just not the same interests. She was far too serious, so Amaya ended up wandering for a lot of the time. After the first day she walked around the base so often she knew the layout like the back of her hand.

The first time they returned, they brought home Angel. She didn't seem too into what was going on, but she seemed interested in meeting others like herself. The fact that she worked as a stripper was pretty cool too. At least, it was to Amaya. So that added another person to their little prison mutant group. Angel was pretty cool herself. Of course, they didn't know each others' mutation, but that didn't mean they couldn't get along. At least now she had someone else to hang out with.

"You had nothing to worry about," Charles said, wrapping an arm around her as they walked. "Erik and I are fine, and you seem to be able to get along well with Angel."

"Beats being stuck in a lab," she mumbled. "Still, that was only one. Where are we even going?"

"I am heading to Cerebro and I'd love the company on the way there."

"Cerebro- I thought you already had a list of mutants."

"We're finding more who may help us. Where's Raven?"

"Where she usually is, with the scientist. She hangs out with me sometimes, but I usually leave them together."

"That's good for them. What about your shoulder, love? How's that treating you?"

"Bone's healed, half of the muscle is healed too." She'd always had a fast healing system, a random other part to her mutation. It was random, but it wasn't like she was complaining. Less time to be in physical pain. "We should be good in about four, five more days."

"Good." He gave her a smile, but she didn't reciprocate it. Her gaze remained ahead. "What is it now?"

She shook her head and ducked under his arm. "Nothing, nothing... I'm going to go get some food. I'll see you when you get back. Tell Erik I say hi." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading down a separate hallway.

The two men were gone before the day had even ended. The second time they returned, they brought back a tall, lanky black man. Darwin. He was pretty nice and they all made fast friends. But by this time the CIA had given them a specific room to remain in which made Amaya think of it even more like a prison. This time Amaya didn't get a chance to see Charles, not that she made a point to either way. He and Erik just went to Cerebro to find another mutant before leaving again. That was how it was. They returned, found another, then left, and the cycle continued.

Alex was the next mutant they brought. He made a point to keep a good distance away from everyone else, even when confined in the room. He wanted to be alone. Whether that was just his personality or whether it was due to his abilities, they didn't really know. Eventually they got him to join them more often and figured it was his abilities. After all, he _chose _to be in solitary confinement prior to. It had to do something with what he did to get in there. They didn't talk about their mutations at all when they hung out. They mostly spent that time actually getting to know each other than figure out what everyone could do.

The six of them sat in the secluded room they were stuck in. Even if they were stuck in it, it wasn't necessarily a bad room. The couches were the same as the ones around the base, maybe even better. There were decorations that made it more "homey", a pinball machine, and Amaya's personal favorite, a bar. Her and Angel had gotten Raven to try at least a sip of liquor in their time there, laughing at the way her face scrunched up at the taste. At the moment, they sat around the table, lounging. Angel and Darwin sat on one of the couches, Raven and Hank on the other. Alex sat on an armchair next to them while Amaya sat on the armchair next to his.

"What exactly do you guys want to do now?" Raven asked. They'd already finished playing twenty questions and had their own version of the game Russian roulette, but with soda. Whoever got the "shot" had to do a consequence. Somehow it always ended up either Amaya or Darwin getting the shot. After the fifth consequence she had to do, she pouted and claimed it was rigged.

"Play another game? I mean, we've got nothing to do until dinner," Angel suggested.

Darwin shrugged. "Alright, cool. Anyone have a game?"

"Spin the bottle?" Alex suggested with a mischievous smirk.

Amaya scoffed and kicked his seat. "You wish."

"Fine, you got a better idea?"

She merely shrugged and turned to the others. "Anyone?"

"Well... There is this one game. The girls and I usually played it at the club," Angel began. "It's the blushing game."

"The blushing game?" Hank repeated.

Angel nodded. "Two people go against each other and say that they like the person in front of them. It continues on until someone blushes or gets embarrassed and that person's out. We can have like a tournament or something."

"We all know who's getting out first," Alex snickered, shooting Hank a glance.

"Ease off of the guy. Hank's adorkable." Amaya rolled her eyes and hit him in the back of the head. She'd gotten close to Alex during his stay here. She understood the fear of losing control of your abilities and accidentally hurting anyone near. She also understood the feeling of wanting to be alone, so they ended up being fast friends.

"Angel's gonna be a hard one to get out," Raven laughed.

"Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter if it's guys or girls." She smirked. "Who's in?"

They ended up playing a few rounds of the game. Hank got out easily, after all, he was Hank. He wasn't necessarily used to people coming onto him which was something Alex continuously made fun of. Up until Angel made him blush. It was a faint blush, but he was still out. Alex had gotten Amaya out after Darwin got Raven out. Between Angel and Darwin, it would have been a tie except Darwin ended up laughing at something they had said. The second round, Amaya ended up being the winner.

She smirked once the fourth round had started. Oh the tables were turning now. Hank and Raven ended up getting each other out. Alex quickly got Darwin out and Amaya got Angel. She met the smug boy's eyes. "Guess it's just you and me. Let's make this more interesting, shall we? Loser has to do a consequence, like in Russian roulette."

"I'm up for it, sweetheart. I don't plan on losing." His smirk only widened. "I like you."

"Aw, cute. I love you~" She winked, blowing him a kiss.

It started off fairly PG, a little talk, innocent contact. When it was obvious neither of them would break, they took it up a notch. Then another when it was obvious that wouldn't work, which quickly evolved to Amaya sitting on Alex's lap, whispering "I love you" in the most seductive voice she could muster. He almost cracked, she saw it in his eyes, but he was relentless. The others watched on as if it were a show, making bets on who'd crack first.

Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, leaning down to whisper lowly in her ear, "I love you."

Amaya merely smiled innocently and pulled him down. They didn't hear what she had whispered to him this time around, but his face slowly grew several shades of red. She pulled back and gave him a smirk and a wink which only made his blush deeper. Amaya hopped up and threw her hands in the air. "Bow down to the blush game champ~!"

The others laughed and gave their applause. Angel looked at Amaya curiously. "What did you even say to him?"

She whispered what she told Alex, Angel looking at her with a grin. "Oh my god, you _didn't_."

"Had to bring out the big guns, right?"

"That wasn't fair, I didn't know we could say things like _that_." Alex's blush barely had any time to die down. He pulled Amaya back. "Rematch. I demand a rematch. How the hell are you not even remotely embarrassed?"

She merely laughed, curling up on the seat. "I'm every definition of embarrassed. You just can't see it. I know how to hide my emotions very well."

"Looks like we were missing out on a party."

They all turned around, watching Erik, Charles, and an orange haired boy enter the room. Raven got up and gave Charles a welcome hug back. Amaya smirked and started whispering to Alex once again, making Charles look at them questionably as to why she was sitting on his lap and why they looked so comfortable. She never interacts that comfortably with others except for them, and what secrets did they even have to hide that they had to continuously whisper it back and forth. His lips curled downwards subconsciously and Raven smirked, following his gaze. A few moments later, another faint blush filled Alex's cheeks and only made Charles' frown more prominent. He watched as Alex lifted Amaya so he could stand up before dropping her down on the chair.

Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and grumbled to himself as he walked up to the new arrival. He looked back at Amaya who merely shot him another smirk and wink. He let out a sigh and tilted the new recruit's face up. "I like you," he said indignantly.

"Whoa, bro, I don't swing that way..." the other hesitantly said.

"Nuh uh uh, like you mean it, darling," Amaya called.

"Hell no, that's fucking embarrassing!" he protested, returning.

The others burst out in laughter, clapping at the consequence Alex had to do. Raven snickered and patted the new recruit on the back. "It's part of a consequence," she explained. "Let's just say Amaya got Alex out and he had to do what she said."

"Which was fucking embarrassing," he repeated, sitting down on Amaya.

Amaya grunted, trying to push the guy off. "Dude! Your ass is fucking bony!"

"Good!" Alex grinned.

"This is Sean," Charles introduced, choosing to ignore the bickering duo. "We have one more person to attempt to recruit, so we'll be gone one last time."

"Have fun, Charlie," Amaya called, still struggling to get Alex off of her lap. "Come meet the crew, Sean. I'd steer clear of Alex, he's a total dickbag."

"I'd steer clear of Amaya, she's a total ass."

"My insult was better."

"Shut up."

"Amaya, a word, please," Charles called.

Amaya shoved Alex off and smiled when she heard a satisfying thump. She followed Charles out, not missing Raven's sly wink as she passed by. She followed Charles down the hallway, furrowing her eyebrows at his strange demeanor. He seemed more stiff than usual and normally he'd start the conversation as they walked rather than waiting until they stopped at the end of the hallway.

"You shouldn't be acting so roughly when you're still healing," he began.

Amaya immediately frowned. "You brought me out here to _scold_ me for interacting with the others?"

"I'm not scolding, I'm just saying you should be more careful."

"My shoulder's healed, Charles. It finished healing yesterday. Besides, it was just a game."

"Speaking of which, what exactly _was _that game? You and Alex seemed awfully close."

"The blushing game. Two people go up against each other and continuously confess their love for each other until someone blushes. He refused to acknowledge my win."

Charles crossed his arms. "So you continuously confessed your 'love' for Alex."

"And won. Though I had to get a bit more creative."

"What _exactly_ did you say? His face was an unnatural shade of red."

Amaya smirked and pulled him closer, whispering what she had said earlier.

Charles' eyes widened and he quickly pulled back, staring at her with wide eyes. "Amaya!"

"What? It's not like I meant it. Plus, he wasn't cracking."

"That doesn't matter, that's inappropriate."

She rolled her eyes. "Practically _everything_ I do is inappropriate to you. Honestly, Charles."

"We're here professionally, you don't just _say_ that."

"Well _you_ don't, because you're all about being 'prim and proper'." She scoffed. "I'll see you guys when you get back." Amaya turned around and started heading back to the room, taking a seat next to Raven indignantly. Can she not do _one_ thing that Charles doesn't judge? Raven was playing the game too, for god's sake. Why was she the one who always got scolded? Was it because she was a few years younger than them? That's a stupid reason. She crossed her arms and huffed, relaxing back in the couch. Stupid Charles.

Charles on the other hand ran a hand over his face, sighing. Why couldn't she see that it was inappropriate to interact that way with the others? It didn't matter if it was serious or not. First it was going out and getting men's numbers at bars and now it was this? Why did she have to act like such a child? And then there were those looks that Raven gave him earlier, as if he were jealous. He wasn't jealous. She shouldn't even be that close with someone, it was too intimate to be professional. He didn't expect to see her getting along so well and being so close with Alex. He could feel her elation when they were walking there, elation and embarrassment. Charles frowned to himself. No, he was not jealous. It was his job to watch over them.

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**Charles? Jealous? No, of course not. Psh. Hope you liked it~ I'm pretty excited to write the next chapter, and I ****_know_**** there'll be another update later on, most likely after school. :3 Don't forget to review~**


	8. Chapter 8: Not So Happy Celebration

**Here's that second chapter I promised! Glad you guys liked the blushing game, I didn't think of that though ^-^; I found it on tumblr, it was this Percy Jackson fanart comic that I thought was pretty cool, so why not use the game? Seems like fun to actually play too. I'm overwhelmed with the reviews and new follows~ If you've been following since the beginning, welcome back! To the new followers, welcome friends! Oh, and to Guest, I had a Charles POV chap planned next, actually. XD Beat me to the punch. As for what Amaya whispered to Alex, let's just say it's not very PG or PG-13 ;) Let your imaginations run wild with that.**

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Charles and Erik had gotten back from their last attempt to recruit another mutant, which was a huge bust. He flat out refused them after just introducing themselves. Charles had a feeling Amaya would burst out laughing when he'd tell her what had happened, but that would have to wait. Apparently they'd found more on Shaw and so they were going to have a meeting in a few minutes. He walked with Erik and Moira down the hall, discussing the plans they were going to propose to take down Shaw. He sensed Amaya before he actually saw her. She was laughing again, was it because of Alex? His answer was given when he sensed Alex running over to the girl. They turned the corner and saw said girl holding Alex in a choke hold, smirking.

"What exactly are you two doing?" Moira asked, frowning. They should be with the others.

"We were training down the hall-"

"You were supposed to remain in the room."

"Did you _want_ us to break everything there? This guy practically threw me across the room. Which hurt by the way." She shot him a playful glare.

"You were the one who flipped me over first."

"Besides, I saw you guys walking this way, and Charles, I need to talk to you." Her demeanor changed from being lively to being serious in less than a second.

"We have a meeting right now. You can tell me afterward."

"Alright, cool." She started walking with them to the room. "What are we gonna be talking about?"

"_We_ are going to be talking about our next move. _You_ are heading back to the common room."

She frowned. "What?"

"You're heading back to the common room with everyone else."

"I can help."

"I know you can, but if I let you come with, Raven will want to as well." He pet her head and pressed a kiss against her hair. "I'll see you later, alright, love?"

She sighed and nodded, heading back down the hallway. Charles glanced over to Alex who was still standing there and watched as he nodded his head in acknowledgment to all of them before running after Amaya, vaulting over her. Charles immediately felt her mind shift again to one of excitement before chasing him down the hall. Erik nudged him and raised an eyebrow at his frown. He hadn't even realized he was frowning. He shook his head and continued on down the hall.

.:-:-:.

They were gathered around the table once again, drinks and snacks spread out over the top. Amaya sat on the arm rest by Raven, resting her elbow on the tall blond's head. They stared as Sean struck out with Angel _yet again_. That was honestly the tenth time the poor kid tried a pick up line on her. By now they doubted he was actually trying and only did it to have fun and entertain both himself and everyone else.

"We should think of code names," Raven suddenly said. "We're government agents now, we should have secret code names." She grinned, looking around at everyone. "I want to be called Mystique."

"Damn! I wanted to be called Mystique," Sean said, snapping his fingers in mock disappointment.

"Well, tough. I called it." Her skin ruffled, and her form quickly shifted to Sean's. "And I'm way more mysterious than you. Darwin, what about you?" She continued as everyone else applauded.

"Well, 'Darwin' is already a nickname, and, you know, it sort of fits. Adapt to survive and all. Check this out." He stood up and walked over to the fish tank against one of the walls. They watched intently while he dunked his head in. A moment later, his skin shifted. It wasn't clear what had happened, but when he turned to look at them, they saw. The man had grown gills. _Gills_. He took his head out when they started cheering again.

"That was _awesome_," Amaya said.

"Thank you." He nodded to Sean. "What about you?"

"I'm going to be... Banshee."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to be named after a wailing spirit?"

He merely smirked and stood up, heading to the end of the table where the glasses were perfectly lined up. "You might want to cover your ears."

They hesitantly brought their hands up over their ears and plugged them with their fingers. Sean took a deep breath and shifted his position. When he let out his shout, it completely missed the glasses and instead broke the large glass window in front of them.

He took a seat once again, satisfied. "Your turn."

"My stage name is Angel," Angel said, turning around and taking off her jacket. The tattoo of her wings slowly peeled off and faded to their true colors. "It kind of fits."

Raven gaped. "You can fly?"

"Uh huh. And..." She turned towards the statue out in the courtyard and in one swift movement, released a small fireball from her mouth, hitting it straight on the head. She put her jacket back on and turned to Hank. "What's your name?"

"How about Big Foot?" Alex snorted, earning a kick to the chair via Amaya.

Raven looked at him. "You know what they say about guys with big feet. And yours are kind of small."

"Oooh." Amaya snickered and high fived Raven.

"Alex, what is your gift? What can you do?" Darwin asked.

"It's not..." He sighed. "I just can't do it. I can't do it in here."

"Can you do it out there?"

"Why don't you just do it out there?"

"Come on!"

They started chanting Alex's name and practically forced him to get up. He rose from his seat and began to walk towards the gaping opening left by Sean's earlier screech. "Get down when I tell you."

Amaya snickered. "Get down when I tell you," she mocked, following the others up to the edge. They lined up along the wall, curiously peeking out at him.

"Get back." He ordered.

They quickly pulled back into the room for a moment. Once he was turned away, they peeked out again.

"Get back!" When they didn't, he merely sighed in annoyance. "Whatever."

He started to move his body in a circular motion. As he did so, red rings of condensed energy started to swirl around him. He expelled them from around his body and sent them flying in several directions, one of the rings cutting the golden statue that Angel had burned prior to in half. The rest of the rings hit along the sides of the building or went flying off into the sky, dissipating into nothing. He had little to no control of his abilities, but that didn't matter at the moment. It was absolutely incredible.

They let out a series of cheers as he stepped back inside. Alex flashed them a smile and turned to Amaya. "What's your name, hotshot?"

"Mine? That's easy. Shadow. Kind of self explanatory."

"What can you do with them?"

"Absolutely anything I do so wish."

"Come on, I showed mine. We all did. Your turn."

"Yeah, show them, Mai!" Raven cheered.

The girl chuckled and turned to the statue. She stretched her arm out towards what was left of the statue. The shadows of the yard curled around the metal, climbing up on it. The corner of her lips curled into a smirk and she cut the air with her hand. The shadows hardened and shredded the statue into several other pieces before disappearing and returning to where they had come from. She held a finger up to keep them from starting their applause. The shadows around the parts of the statue covered it and with the snap of her fingers, disappeared into oblivion. She spun around and gave a mock bow as they started clapping.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Alex laughed, patting her back.

"Remind me not to get on _yours_."

"Alright, alright, guys. It's about time to celebrate!" Darwin exclaimed, opening another bottle of soda. Angel ran over to the radio and started playing music while everyone got back inside the room.

.:-:-:.

Charles rose to his feet as the meeting regarding Shaw came to an end. They had gotten the okay to bring the others with them to face Shaw as that was the original plan. They waited until Moira stepped out of the room to start heading to where the other mutants were. "Your plane leaves at three in the morning, make sure you're ready by then," she said.

They fell into step a bit behind her. "I'm telling you," Erik began. "These kids aren't ready for Shaw."

"I think they're gonna surprise you," Charles spoke, trying to focus on the conversation rather than the jumble of thoughts and murmurs that were suddenly getting louder in his mind. "They're an exceptional bunch of young people..." He trailed off. The noise wasn't coming from his head this time, it was coming from the courtyard.

"What the hell?" Moira murmured as they came into view.

The statue that once stood in the middle of the yard was gone, just completely gone. The window to the mutants' common room was shattered to pieces that lay around the area. Music was blasting loudly across the night air. Angel had her wings out, flying and dancing around while Raven stood on the couch and continued dancing. Hank was upside down, holding onto the ceiling lamp with his feet as he moved to the music. Sean, Alex, and Amaya took turns hitting Darwin with various items they found while his upper body was covered in rock and stone.

"Come on! You can go harder than that," he taunted as Sean hit him with a chair. "Harder!"

The three watched in horror as they continued their dancing and hitting Darwin. Charles thought they had better judgment and more common sense than to do whatever they had did. Breaking the glass, hiding the statue, honestly. He was _just_ defending them yet here they were proving that what Erik thought was true. His eyes widened in horror when Amaya grabbed a broken piece of furniture and covered it in shadows to form a large mallet, grinning maliciously. The hit completely rebounded and barely even affected Darwin, making them all burst out laughing. She wanted to prove herself useful and help with Shaw, but how could he allow her to when he couldn't even trust her to keep from doing something like _this_?

"_What_ are you doing?!" Moira shouted, her hands on her hips.

The group turned to them in surprise and slowly stopped what they were doing. Hank dropped to the floor while Angel turned off the music. Raven quickly hopped off of the couch. Sean, Alex, and Amaya started covering the array of objects they had used to hit Darwin behind them while the man returned to his normal form.

She glared at them and pointed to the middle of the courtyard. "What _happened_ to the statue?"

"It was Amaya-" Alex began, earning a hit to the head. He merely grinned down at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Alex was the one who broke it," Hank quickly cut in before shying back. Alex turned to him in a glare. Amaya merely snickered and stuck her tongue out at him.

"No, Shadow and Havok. We have to call Amaya, Shadow, and Alex, Havok," Raven said, stepping up. "That's their names now. And we were thinking, you should be Professor X-" She pointed at Charles. "And you should be Magneto." She pointed at Erik.

"Exceptional," he murmured, looking at them dissatisfaction before walking off.

"I expect more from you," Charles said, looking at Raven with disappointment. "_Both_ of you," he added, turning to Amaya. He eyed the way Alex was holding her and walked away in displeasure.

Moira shook her head. She was unable to turn away from the mess they had created. "Clean this. Now," she ordered before following the two men.

They slowly began cleaning up the mess they made. At least, they attempted to. Some of the things they couldn't necessarily fix like the broken furniture or the glass, but they were able to clean up the garbage and stow it in a large plastic trash bag. While they cleaned, Amaya couldn't get the look of disappointment on Charles' face out of her head. She'd never seen him so let down with them before, especially not with her, and she'd done _a lot _of things in the past to get a disappointed or annoyed look from the man. She still needed to talk to him before he left, but at the moment, she didn't want to. She had the feeling of wanting to avoid him as much as possible, maybe not even see him before he left. Immediately, she felt a rush of guilt and shame. That wasn't something she should be thinking of. Charles had always been there for her, she could trust him. She'd go an apologize and then talk to him before he left.

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**Names have now been chosen~ Who else saw Amaya's name coming? I mean, come on. She can control darkness and shadows, what better name, right? Wonder what Amaya has to say to Charles, any ideas? Hmmm~ Might be able to update once more today. ****_Might_****. Definitely tomorrow though :3 Don't forget to review~! Later, guys!**


	9. Chapter 9: Infiltration

**Another three chapters in one day? Whaaaaat? Just so happens that it's one of those parts where I have ****_everything_**** planned out. Well, not everything. Anyway, enjoy!**

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The activity in the base had gone down in the night, most of the people sleeping, though many agents still patrolled and ensured safety. Charles frowned at what had happened earlier. The common room was cleared and cleaned by now, but there was still the matter of fixing the glass and the furniture which were being replaced at the moment. The fact that he trusted both Raven and Amaya and they didn't live up to that trust hurt, then there was also... He shook his head. He didn't even know why it hurt, but it did. Seeing how close Amaya and Alex were, or Shadow and Havok, however they wish to be called, but it made him uneasy. It took him forever to get her to open up to him yet she opened up to this guy in what, less than a week? They were getting too close for his comfort, first with the whole blush game incident and now they're touching so casually. Charles scolded himself and sighed. It shouldn't matter to him, Alex was a good kid and he was glad that he and Amaya were having fun, but he couldn't stand watching them.

Charles was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it. "Moira," he greeted.

"Charles, this will only be a moment," she said.

"Please, come in." He stepped aside to let her in.

Moira gave him a smile and stepped inside and took a seat on the bed, carrying her files with her. "We've already debriefed our contact there of our plan. Several soldiers are coming with us..." she began, talking of how they were going to get to and infiltrate the senior Soviet official's home.

Charles sat next to her and looked through the documents, nodding once and a while. They were completely bypassing the military checkpoints and they had their cover set. Everything was ready for them. "Brilliant," he said, smiling.

"It wasn't just me though, I mean, I thought of the whole cover idea, but we wouldn't be able to do it without our contact and the soldiers... And of course you..."

He chuckled as someone else knocked on the door. When he opened the door, there Amaya stood. Her eyes that were downcast while waiting snapped up to meet his. "Amaya," he said, though he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

She gave a small half smile. "Hey..."

"What are you doing here?"

"Two reasons, one, to apologize for what had happened. We were all just sort of showing each other our abilities and it just genesised into that..."

"I'm leaving a few of these documents here for you to read later on, Charles." Moira gathered her things and started to leave. She paused at the door and smiled at the girl. "Hey Amaya."

Amaya merely gave her a stiff nod and stepped aside so she could leave.

"The plane leaves in an hour. Don't be late," Moira reminded, heading down the hallway.

"Of course," he called back. His attention turned back to Amaya. "Apology accepted, I know how you children can be. What was the other reason?"

Amaya glanced at Moira before glancing back at him and looking down at the floor. She was hesitating, as to why, Charles didn't know.

"Amaya?"

She looked up and it seemed like she was going to say something, but she just shook her head.

"I need to finish packing, what is it?"

"It's nothing... Don't worry about it." She turned on her heels and started walking to where she came from.

He could sense how her mind was in a frenzy. She was disturbed, very disturbed about something. He reached out and grabbed her arm before she could get away. "What is it?"

"I just... I've just been feeling really uneasy lately. Kind of like a premonition? It's probably nothing, I've had a lot to drink, so don't worry about it. Stay safe in the Soviet." Her lips spread in a weak attempt at a smile to try and reassure him she was fine, but it didn't. She started walking away again once his grip on her was released.

Was that honestly just it? He watched her leave until she turned the corner to head down to her room. She seemed very tense and perturbed. Amaya was _never_ tense or perturbed. What was she so anxious about? Was it the confrontation with Shaw? That was what it was before, or was it that whole thing about not wanting him to end up like "them"? She was and will always be a never ending puzzle to him.

.:-:-:.

They were able to slip into the Soviet easily. There weren't any bumps in the road, at least not yet. Charles didn't want to jinx anything. Everything that was going on seemed too easy. It was either the CIA had planned everything very well, or something bad was going to happen. They rode in the back of a truck, he and Erik sitting by the front while soldiers lined the sides.

"We got a problem," Moira said, lifting the small hatch to the back.

"What?" Charles redirected his gaze from the woman to the checkpoint in front of him. He knew things were too easy.

"I'm so sorry. This wasn't on the map."

"No matter what happens, act normally. I'll take care of this, all right?"

She nodded and closed the flap as the truck came to a stop.

"Now, listen to me..." Charles explained what he was going to do while the two in the front began to speak in Russian. He would be able to make the soldier see an illusion, but it would only work if the soldiers remained calm and didn't make any noise. They heard someone come around back and begin to open the doors. Instantly, the soldiers raised their guns. "Easy, easy. Take it easy, chaps."

The doors were swung open, yet the Soviet soldier saw nothing but an empty back. After another conversation, their contact shut the doors and started the truck once again. They made it close to the estate where the soldiers spread out to cover more ground. Erik, Moira, and Charles hid low in the ground as close as possible to the estate without being caught. They saw a small helicopter landing, but Shaw didn't step out. Instead, the blonde woman from the yacht did.

Erik's eyes widened and he looked up in surprise. "Where is Shaw?"

Charles shook his head. "I don't know. But if she's a telepath and I read her, she'll know we're here... Let me try something else." He placed two fingers against his temple and focused on one of the men who stood guard by the door of the estate. He was able to take control of his mind and see and hear what the guard was able to.

"Shaw sends his apologies," the blonde said. "But he's indisposed. He asked me to come in his place. And between you and I, honey, I'm a lot better company..."

"He's not coming." Charles frowned. If he wasn't coming, where was he? Did he know that they were heading there? "So, what now, boss?"

"Now, nothing. We're here for Shaw. Mission aborted." Moira decided.

"The hell it is." Erik got ready to rise to his feet. He would have if Moira hadn't suddenly grabbed him.

"Erik!"

"She's his right-hand woman. That's good enough for me."

"The CIA invading the home of a senior Soviet official. Are you crazy?"

"I'm not CIA."

"Erik!" She called as he ran off.

The man tore through the forest and across the small field. The men on guard didn't even have any time to react when the barbed wire sprung up and coiled around them. He threw the bar up and ran through, charging to the house. He pulled the guns away from the guards and defeated them easily. He was angry, and that made is all the more simple for him to get into the house.

"He's gonna start World War III single-handed. We have to do something," Charles said, cursing inwardly.

"Like what?" Moira asked.

"We're moving out."

"You can't!"

"I'm sorry. I can't leave him." Charles got up and followed Erik, stopping at one of the guards that were coiled in wire. "For God's sake, Erik!" He sighed and pressed his fingers against the man's temple. "Be calm... Be calm. Forget my face."

The man fell unconscious and Charles moved on. He sprinted into the mansion and followed the sounds of fighting and the anger that Erik radiated. He caught up just in time to throw open the doors of the room that contained both the woman and the Soviet. What they saw was something they definitely didn't expect. The woman on the couch wearing nothing but undergarments and her boots while the Soviet sat on the bed, fondling thin air. It was obvious she was projecting an illusion.

"Nice trick," Charles said. It was, but it was very strange to watch.

The Soviet looked at them and narrowed his eyes. He glanced at the blonde before looking at the two again. "Who are you?" He quickly reached for his gun.

"Go to sleep," Charles commanded. The man quickly fell back, falling asleep.

The woman stood up and her skin shifting into one of diamond like qualities. It was as if she were a statue completely made of diamond, but she was still living and breathing. Her mind was closed off. No matter how hard Charles tried, he got nothing and only received pain from the mental attacks she sent him.

"You can stop trying to read my mind, sugar," she said. "You're never going to get anything from me while I'm like this."

Charles glanced at Erik in understanding for a moment. Suddenly, she charged. Seeing that coming, they quickly grabbed her and shoved her against the baseboard, but not without some difficulty. Erik manipulated the metal to encase her wrists, trapping her onto the bed.

"So, then, you can just tell us," he said. "Where is Shaw?"

She chose to ignore them and merely struggled against her metal bindings. It was a moot effort though, considering Erik was in full control of the metal around her. One of the golden pieces coiled around her throat, two more surrounding her upper arms.

"Erik," Charles warned. This wasn't what they should be doing. "Erik, that's enough." The bindings only constricted more, several cracks beginning to appear along her throat. "Erik, that's enough!"

The man released the bindings and set the bed frame to how it was before. The woman broke out of her previous form and returned to looking like a human, breathing heavily and taking in as much oxygen as she needed. "All yours," he murmured, heading over to the table. "She won't be shifting into diamond form again. And if she does, just give her a gentle tap."

Charles knelt down to her level and began to search through her mind. She didn't even bother trying to resist, allowing him to see what he wanted. Charles frowned, hearing Shaw's voice. He was planning on eradicating everyone, eradicating humans. He planned on starting a war and leaving behind only the mutants who followed him. He only wanted those who were like them to survive. Everything else could just fall into ruin.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

"This is worse than we previously imagined... We're taking you with us. CIA will want to question you themselves."

She scoffed. "Oh, I doubt it. You have a few things Shaw wants, one he wants back. They have bigger things to worry about right now."

His mind quickly flashed to what Amaya had said prior to and felt his stomach sink. _" I've just been feeling really uneasy lately. Kind of like a premonition? It's probably nothing..."_ It most certainly wasn't nothing. She wanted _them _to stay safe in Russia, but it was herself and the others she had to truly worry about.

* * *

**So who's curious as to how the fight's going to go down? How Amaya'll end up handling the whole thing? What happens when Charles and Erik get back? Stay tuned for more~ Feel free to drop a little review using that button over there. *whispers* I'm already working on the next chapter... Shhhhh.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Attack

**Hey guys~ I loved waking up to all of those reviews and follows and favorites. That made my morning~ So let me make yours! With a new chapter of course! Don't worry, there'll be another update this afternoon. At least, I hope there'll be. I kinda need to stay after for a while. **

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She couldn't stop thinking about it. Not about that uneasy premonition, not about the whole trip to Russia, and especially not about Moira emerging out of Charles' room. Maybe she shouldn't have gone there in the first place. Whatever the queasy feeling was, it was probably nothing. She sighed and pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her arms, curling up into a ball. She _hated_ being stuck here. They should be out there with Charles and Erik taking down Shaw. Instead they were here being ridiculed by stupid CIA agents, eating Oreos, or playing a stupid pinball machine. Amaya snorted. And they wondered why she refused to trust the government people.

"Man, you're killing me!" Darwin exclaimed.

"Had a lot of spare time," Alex replied, pressing the machine's buttons. The dings and the sounds of the machine filled the room. Everyone else was eating Oreos or sipping on their drink.

"I didn't know the circus was in town." Amaya glanced up, seeing a couple of the so called "CIA" agents. They were total douches. "Hey, come on, honey. Give us a little... No? Come on, let's see the foot." They continuously taunted and insulted them and they expected them to give them their trust? Ha. Ridiculous.

Hank stood up and went over to the glass.

"There it is. Come on, Big Foot, let's go."

He pressed the button to close the curtains and gave a short wave as they disappeared from view before returning to his seat.

"They're just guys being stupid," Raven said.

Angel scoffed. "Guys being stupid, I can handle. Okay? I've handled that my whole life. But I'd rather a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off than the way these ones stare at me."

"At us..." She added unhelpfully. But it wasn't like Raven didn't know how it felt to be looked at like a freak. She had no choice but to hide her true appearance much like how Angel had to hide her wings.

They paused, hearing a strange sound. It sounded like air whooshing, but it wasn't. Not even a second later, it was followed by a lifeless thump. Darwin looked up from watching the score on the pinball machine rise. His smile slowly faded away as there was another sound and another thump. Amaya raised her head, her gaze hardening. She knew that sound. So her premonition was right.

"What was that?" he asked. "I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." He moved towards the window with Alex in tow. The rest of the mutants stood along the window. When he opened the curtains, the courtyard was completely empty. It was painfully and unnaturally still and silent. They looked around in search for any sign of what was going on, but they found nothing. Amaya frowned and stepped up. That sound was his sound of traveling. She recognized it fair enough, now where was he?

On cue and with a blast of fire and smoke, a red figure stood afloat high above the facility. His tail moved fluidly behind him as he held the man in black in the air. With a smirk, he disappeared in another puff of fire and left the man to drop. Running on instinct, Amaya quickly disappeared and reappeared to grab the man. They vanished before they could hit the ground and landed inside of the room. Amaya groaned, rolling onto her front to get up. She wasn't used to transporting another person, but he was alive.

"What-?"

Amaya's head snapped up, hearing Azazel reappear. She let out a curse and disappeared once again. The others watched as she attempted to save the falling agents. Screams and sickening sounds of people falling to their deaths were all they heard. They panicked and backed away from the glass while quickly searching for any sign of Amaya. The girl appeared on the floor, curling up on her side. Her chest rose and fell heavily whilst her face contorted in pain. She could feel herself slipping, feel herself losing control. Not only that, but she was only able to save a total of six people, six, out of everyone who fell out of the sky. Alex ran over and helped her up, forcing her to lean against him to support her while she needed it.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked.

"Son of a bitch," she mumbled, glaring out the window. A group of agents were already outside with guns, searching desperately for the red man.

One of the men hit the glass, ordering them to get back when he suddenly appeared. They screamed, pointing at him but by the time they started shooting, he'd already disappeared. He repeatedly appeared behind the men when they least expected it. They lost control of their guns and everyone quickly dove down behind the couches to avoid getting hit. Darwin stood protectively in front of them, ready to change to rebound any stray bullets.

They jumped, turning to the other window when a large tornado spun through. It destroyed Cerebro and sucked in any man who tried to stop it. Amaya's eyes narrowed. She remembered him too. Everyone pulled themselves back, forming a small protective ball while chaos ensued around them. Raven averted her eyes and squeezed them shut in a desperate attempt to keep from seeing more killing but it was no use. She could still hear their screams and the sound of their deaths.

"Stay here my ass!" Darwin shouted when Azazel reappeared. "Let's go!"

They shot out of the room, running down the hall to get away from whatever the hell was happening, but there was a wall of armed men standing there, waiting for whoever was attacking to walk down that way. They quickly intercepted the mutants and forced them back into the room. A shower of explosions shook the building and without a choice, they ran back into the room. Almost as soon as they did, a man was sent flying through the window with the tornado in it. Everyone ducked down, screaming. The tornado faded away to nothing, the man in gray from the boat stepping into the room. They watched in horror as Azazel killed the final agent in his way.

The seven of them crowded together as the two closed in. Shots resounded outside of their doors. Raven stared in fright. What could it be now?

"If you want the mutants, they're right through that door. Please, leave us normal-" The man on the opposite side was cut short by the sound of his bones cracking. They could only stare in shock. They thought the CIA was supposed to be protecting them, yet they gave them up that easily?

A third figure entered the room. The man wore a strange metal helmet, his face cruel, yet painted with an amused smile as if he were entertained with the meager attempt the humans put up against them. He practically radiated power.

The moment Amaya set eyes on him, her eyes flashed dangerously and she stiffened. This was the man she hated, standing right before them, and she could barely even stand.

"The telepath?" the man asked, turning to Azazel.

"Not here."

"Too bad. Well, at least I can take this silly thing off." He took the helmet off of his head and ran a hand through his brown locks. "Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw. And I am not here to hurt you."

"Freeze!" One more agent called.

"Azazel." He killed the man swiftly, allowing for Shaw to continue. "My friends, there is a revolution coming. When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do, each of us will face a choice. Be enslaved or rise up to rule."

"You and I both know that's total bullshit spilling from your mouth," Amaya snarled. Alex tightened his grip on her, giving her a warning look. Was she crazy?

His gaze shifted to her, his smile growing. "Fiammaya-"

She let out a low growl at the use of her full name.

"I see you still haven't gained control of your abilities," he remarked, watching the way her eyes changed to red and purple and the whites shifted to black. The others stared at her in surprise, but Raven recalled that familiar look. That was the same form from when they first met.

"Go suck a dick, fuckface."

Shaw merely chuckled. "Your vocabulary has certainly grown, hasn't it? Your abilities would be of great use to us, Amaya. Come back, and I promise you won't be punished."

Her eyes narrowed. "Not on your life."

"Shame... Though, I have a feeling you _will_ reconsider. As for the rest of you, choose freely, but know that if you are not with us, then, by definition, you are against us. So, you can stay and fight for the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings. And queens." He held his hand out towards Angel, knowing her resolution was wavering.

As he wanted, the girl slipped her hand into his and stepped off with him.

"Angel..." Raven breathed.

"Are you kidding me?" Darwin looked at her.

"Come on. We don't belong here," she said, turning around to look at them. "And that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Darwin held out his hand to her, but she already continued heading out with Shaw.

Raven frowned. "We have to do something."

Darwin turned around to Alex after a moment. He seemed to murmur something that made Alex frown and shove him off. Amaya watched on in confusion. She was right there next to them, but couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"Stop," Darwin called. "I'm coming with you."

Shaw paused and gave a smile. "Good choice. So, tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive. So, I guess I'm coming with you."

"I like that," he chuckled.

Darwin took his spot next to Angel. "Alex!"

"Get out!" He quickly handed Amaya over to Raven who pulled them away from harm. Her eyes widened. They couldn't be... Darwin grabbed Angel and quickly transformed.

"Do it!"

"_No_!" Amaya screamed, but it was too late. Alex had already thrown his attack and Shaw had already absorbed one of his rings.

Darwin shifted back questionably as Azazel pulled Angel from his arms.

"Protecting your fellow mutants? That's a noble gesture." He smirked. "Feels good."

Darwin frowned and went up to Shaw, aiming a right hook that was quickly blocked. Shaw gripped his face with his other hand. "Adapt to this," he whispered, infusing Darwin with a ball of energy. He released him and rejoined his group. He watched as Darwin struggled to contain the energy surging through him, shifting from form to form, but with no use. He looked back at Alex as he disintegrated into nothing. Shaw gave Amaya a fleeting smirk. "Food for thought, my dear. How are you so sure that they'll still stick by you when they find out what you have done? And that poor child-"

Amaya's eyes flared and she would have lunged at him had Alex not held her back. Shaw's smirk grew and with a flash of smoke, they were gone. The air was filled with silence, two of their friends, gone. Amaya was absolutely furious. Her fists were clenched tightly, teeth grit. The shadows stirred dangerously, stretching and swirling into forms as if they had a life of their own, and she didn't even care that she was losing control.

"Amaya, calm down. Your shadows, they're-"

She shifted her dark gaze to Alex, completely taking him back. "Don't. Touch. Me." Her voice was dark, and they could practically feel the anger coming from those three words.

Alex quickly pulled back and held his hands up in defense. He did _not_ want to get in her way. Amaya turned around and left the room, disappearing into the ruins of the building without another word.

.:-:-:.

Charles had been anxious ever since they left the Soviet. Something didn't feel right. The closer they got to the CIA base, the more thoughts he should have been able to hear. He should have been able to feel the kids enjoying their time together as he usually did. But now, he heard little. There was nothing but regret and sadness that grew stronger by the second. They didn't have to wonder why. As soon as they saw it, Charles' heart sank. The place was in _ruins_. Broken concrete and stone were everywhere. The once strong standing base was gone and all that was left was rubble. He found the kids, but there were only five of them. He knew there were seven when they left.

As soon as the car stopped, Charles jumped out and pulled Raven into a hug. Thank god she was alright. He scanned the few there for another familiar face, feeling a flood of relief when he found her. She was curled up into a ball several feet away from where the others were sitting, her head buried in her arms. She didn't even look up or move when they had arrived. What had Shaw done to her?

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately," he told everyone else.

"We're not going home," Sean replied.

"What?"

"He's-" He looked to Alex. "Not going back to prison."

"He killed Darwin," Alex told him.

"All the more reason for you to leave." Staying would only put them in more danger, and if this was what happened while, there was no way he could allow them to. "This is over."

Raven frowned. "Darwin's dead, Charles. And we can't even bury him."

"We can avenge him," Erik suggested, earning everyone's attention.

"Erik, a word, please." Charles took the man aside. What was he thinking? They couldn't do anything against Shaw to stop him when he stopped by. Sending them in to fight would be sending them in to their deaths. "They're just kids."

"No. They _were_ kids," he countered. "Shaw has his army, we need ours."

Charles sighed. They _did _need to stop Shaw, and it was obvious normal humans wouldn't be able to stop him. The end would be the same if they didn't succeed, but if they did and they had even a glimmer of hope, they could save the future. "We'll have to train..." He turned around to the others. "All of us. Yes?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, we can't stay here," Hank said. "Even if they reopen the department, it's not safe. We've got nowhere to go."

Charles' lips curled into a small smile. He knew just the place. "Yes, we do. Get in the cars."

Raven grinned. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and it was perfect. One, they'd be able to train without anyone interfering, and two, they'd be able to go back home after so long.

Charles walked over to the curled up girl. He couldn't tell if she was sleeping, crying, or just sitting there. Any of the three could be an option. He tried to reach into her mind, but she'd blocked off all access. Shaw had wanted her back. He had obviously done something to her, but the question is what. He placed a hand on her shoulder and crouched down to her level.

"Amaya, we're-"

Her head snapped up and before anyone could even breathe, she grabbed Charles' arm and pulled it behind his back. She pinned him to the ground on his stomach, gripping the back of his throat and pushing his head against the ground while pulling his arm painfully behind him.

Erik watched the whole event unfold with a hint of surprise. Those dark eyes, he knew them. Two different colors surrounded by black... He recognized the way she moved and how the shadows curled in her wake.

"Amaya!" Charles groaned. Had she always been this strong? "It's me! It's Charles!"

She blinked, her eyes shifting back to their normal purple state. Charles felt her mind reopen, at least, a part of her mind, and he felt the rush of guilt. She quickly got off of him and helped him up. "Charles! I'm sorry- I just- I didn't mean to- I'm so sorry- I-" Her eyes were wide with panic, struggling to find the words to say. He'd never seen her like this before.

"It's alright." He rose to his feet and rolled his shoulder once before placing a hand on her cheek, meeting her eyes and trying to calm her mind. "It's _alright_. I know you're on edge. You didn't hurt me."

She nodded, taking an uneven breath.

"What happened?"

Her gaze shifted to the ground and she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I... I'm going to go wait in the car..."

Charles watched her leave, frowning. He turned to Raven who had come over to see if he was okay. "What happened? What did Shaw do to her?"

"I don't know... Shaw only talked to her... But he knew her. He knew what to say to make her angry and to make her lose control, which she began to do. After they left, she came out here and curled up into a ball like earlier. She didn't say or do anything else. She stayed like that until now..." Raven watched as the girl slipped into the car, waiting restlessly. "What do we do?"

"What we _can_ do." He went over to the car and took his seat in the middle, between Amaya and Raven as Erik got in the front. Moira went to take the other car with the rest of them. Throughout the ride, Amaya stared out of the window, but Charles knew better. She was in her mind. He could feel the torrent of emotions coming from her. He wordlessly took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he reached into her mind again to calm her down, bringing her back. She looked up to Charles for a moment before bringing her knees to her chest and curling up against him. If this was all he could do for now, then he let it be. What she needed was comfort, and he was more than glad to give it.

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**Don't worry guys, she'll let him in eventually and there'll be more romance in the mansion and some bonding with Erik over the whole similar experience with Shaw sort of thing. Coming up soon~ Don't forget to review and I'll see you later~!**


	11. Chapter 11: Billiards and Secrets

**I come home and find even ****_more_**** notifications about this story? Oh my god guys! I'm feeling so much love~! Anyway, here's the second chapter I promised for today. Until tomorrow, friends!**

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The travel back to Westchester was filled with a heavy and tense silence. Alex held the shame of Darwin's death. He hadn't directly killed Darwin. After all, it was Shaw who infused the man with an intense amount of energy. But it was Alex's energy. It was from his attack, and he couldn't help but feel the guilt. Sean couldn't even lighten up the mood. He didn't have it in him to try and crack a joke or two, nor was it the time. Hank wanted to say something, but what could be said? The base was totaled. Almost all of the agents were dead. Angel was taken. Darwin killed. It wasn't something anyone wanted to bring back up. Raven couldn't get those deaths out of her head at all. Despite the excitement of returning home, she wasn't jumping for joy. Amaya remained how she was before. She never let go of Charles' hand, but it wasn't like he was going to let her release his hand in the first place. He was her anchor and kept her grounded. She didn't feel like she was slipping as much.

She wanted to go home as much as Raven, but the closer they got to the mansion, the more anxious she was. Shaw's words echoed through her head repeatedly. If they found out, what would they say? They'd definitely see her in a different light. How would they react? She let out a sigh and glanced over to Erik. His face remained completely passive, but every once and a while she'd feel him glance at her with recognition. She remembered the man from what seemed like a life time ago. She'd remembered ever since she saw his abilities. They knew what he'd done in the past. They knew that had killed, that he'd be willing to kill. That was how they met him. But if they found out about what she did, would they still welcome her? Would they still be this kind and would they still have the same relationship?

Charles glanced down at the girl and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She was never this quiet. He could feel the turmoil inside of her, the indecisiveness, fear… He felt her relax against him once again as she often did in the car and on the plane. But when she saw the mansion, she tensed again. As much as he wanted to reach into her mind and figure out what it was that was making her react so differently from usual, he knew his boundaries and he knew he couldn't. Not if he wanted to keep her trust.

Finally they arrived at the mansion. They got out of the convoy they had to use to carry everyone at once and gathered around the front. Charles felt the surprise and excitement spark in the new team at the sight of the mansion. He smiled, looking up at the building. Home sweet home.

"Wow, Charles, I couldn't imagine how you've survived with all this hardship," Erik spoke, dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me," Raven said, stepping between the two men. Charles chuckled and wrapped his spare arm around her, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Alright," she said. "Time for the tour."

The group followed her in and marveled at the interior almost as much as they marveled at the exterior. Sean let out a low whistle and attempted to touch everything he could. Amaya released Charles' hand and made a move to head up the stairs without anyone noticing, wanting to go to her room. The man only tightened his grip on her, turning to meet her eyes.

_Where are you going?_

_I need to be alone…_

_I'm sorry, love, I don't think that's best-_

_I _need_ to be alone, Charles._

He reluctantly let her out of his hold and nodded. _I'm here if you need me._

_I know._ She turned and ran up the stairs quietly, disappearing to the second floor.

Erik glanced between the two and followed him with her eyes, debating whether to follow or not. He wanted to know what Shaw she knew about Shaw and most likely vice versa. He had made a note to talk with her at some point in his stay. Now would be a good time whilst everyone else was touring the house and she was alone. Besides, she needed to let it out. He knew that better than anyone. All of that pent up anger, that frustration. He saw the fire in her eyes the first time they met and now he's only seen it blaze brighter and more dangerously. Erik looked to the group who had already made it several feet down the hall. Quietly, he slipped up the stairs and followed the direction he saw the girl take. He paused at the top of the stairs and looked down both sides of the hall, trying to figure out which way she went. It was a fifty-fifty chance. He might as well try both. He knocked on each door lightly before peeking in to see if she was inside, but nothing. Several other doors and the same thing, she wasn't there. He tried the other side of the hallway and still nothing. Had she gone to the third floor? Erik paused and glanced down the stairs to make sure that no one was coming up before climbing to the third floor. He repeated his actions, knocking on each door and checking in each room. Unless she had gone out the window or there was some sort of secret passage in the house, he should have found her by now. There was also the option of her shadow traveling to where she needed to go. In that case, he'd never find her.

Erik raised his hand to knock on the last door, but before he could even hit the wood, a voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Why are you looking for me?"

He turned around and saw Amaya standing before him with her arms crossed, slightly annoyed. "I wasn't," he lied. "I was giving myself a personal tour."

"No you weren't. I saw your look of confusion when you checked each room on the second floor and saw that I wasn't there. I saw you glancing around as if you were searching for something."

"Someone," he corrected. "I only want to talk."

"I only want to be alone," she countered, turning around and walking away.

"I remember you. You were that girl in Shaw's facility. I stayed in the cell next to yours-"

"I know. I never forgot anything that happened there, no matter how hard I wanted to or tried. What is it?"

"As much as Charles wants to offer you comfort, you can't actually be comforted unless you talk about it."

"Oh yeah, let's just talk about that, because that's not going to give me pitying looks or sympathy, both of which I want neither of."

"You need someone who can understand, someone who can empathize."

"Last time I checked, you weren't the type to talk too much about your feelings. Or what happened with Shaw."

"Because do you honestly think that anyone else would understand? Everything Shaw did to me, to us. The aftermath and the trauma... That's something they'll never understand."

"So you're saying to confide in each other."

"Yes, because I'm sure you're the only one here who would agree with my suggestion to kill him."

"I want his head on a mantle."

Erik smirked. "With that way of thinking and those dark eyes, you might be able to change your name to Demon rather than Shadow."

She scoffed. "Demon... Shadow... Whichever, I honestly don't care. Either way, I'll take you up on your offer. Go. Charles is probably looking for you. We'll talk after dinner."

"I'm holding you to that."

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes. "Just go."

Erik nodded and started towards the stairs. He glanced back once, but she was already gone. After dinner, right. Because that would definitely come off as not suspicious. He shuffled back down to the first floor and walked into the room where everyone was gathered. "I was trying to find the bathroom," he said, dismissing everyone's questionable stares.

.:-:-:.

It seemed that the tension had been relieved by the time dinner came around. It was such a different change of pace. It used to be just Charles, Raven, and Amaya, but now, the whole table was filled and it was rather lively. They had prepared the food earlier, all together to ensure there was enough for everyone. Amaya's tension had decreased, relieved to find someone to confide in who wouldn't look at her as if she were a lost puppy or something. She started acting more how Charles and Raven knew her to be. Charles was glad for that, but he couldn't help but wonder what made her ease up.

Amaya finished up her food quickly and put it in the sink.

_You're not staying for desert? Moira made a delightful cake for afterward_.

She glanced back, shaking her head as she began to wash her dishes. She'd already told Erik to meet her in the game room in the second floor, and it would be better if one of them left early and the other left when the others did. _What's with you communicating telepathically so often now?_

_Your mind is more open now than it was before. It's easier this way._

She never realized how closed she'd kept her mind prior to. _Huh..._

_So no desert?_

_I don't plan on eating any, no. Maybe tomorrow. I want to take a long bath before bed._

_Whatever you're _actually_ going to do, don't cause too much trouble. _

_That takes all the fun out of it. _

He let out a small chuckle, sipping on his drink. Raven glanced between Charles and looked back at Amaya, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing," Charles answered.

"Charles is just enjoying the fact that he can apparently talk to me telepathically. We're talking about his kinks, actually." She turned around and smirked at him.

Moira choked on her water. "What?"

"Oh yeah, Charlie has an extensive list of kinks," she hummed, drying off her hands.

"We are _not_ having this conversation again," he said, shaking his head amusedly.

"Actually, we never had the conversation. You know my kinks, you never said any of yours."

"What kinks do you even have?" Alex asked, laughing.

"Obliques, and a hair fetish. I'm a sucker for hot obliques and amazing hair. You know, now that I think of it, Charles, you have a back kink, don't you?"

"No, I don't. Go take your 'bath', Amaya," he chuckled.

She smiled and kissed his cheek before heading out of the room. Charles smiled at the gesture and resumed finishing his meal, ignoring the sly look Raven was giving him. Moira cleared her throat, diverting the conversation from the awkward topic to another one for the duration of the meal.

After everyone had eaten and the dishes were cleared, they all dispersed. Raven, Sean, and Alex went to the living room to hang out and just relax for the night. Moira and Charles remained behind to clean up the rest of the kitchen, which was a perfect time for Erik to slip out. He walked up to the second floor and headed down to the game room he found earlier. Amaya had been waiting for a while, but it was a game room. She'd obviously found ways to entertain herself with darts, billiards, and a few other games in the area.

When Erik entered, she offered him one of the pool sticks, holding another in her hand. He took it and helped set up another game, walking to the other side to break. "You were in Shaw's at a younger age," he began, sinking in one of the solid colored balls. "You were there far before I was."

"He took me when I was five." She cued up and sunk one of the stripes. "I remember when you arrived, I was almost eleven and he'd found his new favorite play toy."

Erik frowned at the memory, the constant experiments and tests. Nevertheless, he continued the game. At least they weren't just sitting around talking about horrible memories. This made it much easier. "What did he do to you to get you to control your powers? Or at least try to?"

"Nothing. He didn't want me to control my powers. When I'm in control, I'm me. He wanted the me that came out when I lose total control. She's the one he wanted on his team, not the one who stifles her down." When Erik cast her a questioning glance, she continued. "When I lose control, I lose my reasoning. All I want to do is harm those who harmed me, tenfold. She's the cold, cruel, calculative side of me that's been emphasized because of my powers, but I know she's still me...? It's hard to explain."

"You're still you, but just colder. You still have the same thoughts, the same feelings, but your priorities have changed."

She nodded. "Exactly. He brought my family into it. He brought my friends. Other mutants I ended up getting to know. My past. Anything to make me snap just so he could talk to that side of me and somehow get me on his side. Either way, I was still me, and so it was a definite no, but the longer I stayed, the more I waned to that side of me. Anyone who worked for him and helped him hurt everyone in the facility? I'd make sure I got payback."

"You walked around with your eyes red and purple surrounded by black, why are they purple and normal now? I've always wondered if it was how you were born."

"That's... Kind of confusing too, I guess. I was born with red and purple eyes, but normal whites. I'm able to change them at will, to hide the red and seem remotely normal. The black only appears when I use my powers more extensively or when I want them to, but I can't keep them from appearing."

"Red being like your other side," he gathered.

"Mhm."

Erik got another ball pocketed and chalked up the end of his stick. "I remember you used to always scare the ones who worked for him. Your eyes creeped them out and because you were only a child it made it even scarier."

Amaya smirked. "Yeah, I remember. Some of them saw me when I lost control, so they were wary of that too. You can't keep from forming a shadow. No matter how much light you have, there'll always be something to cast it."

"You even _looked_ like a demon too. Forget Shadow. Demon. That's what your name should be."

"Magneto fits you pretty well," she said, hitting the cue ball.

"I suppose it does." Erik's chuckles slowly faded away, returning to business. "What was it that Shaw said that made you almost lose control?"

"He brought up the past... He brought up my brother... He brought up what would happen if Charles and Raven found out what I've done..."

"You should have taken his head then and there. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"I already have too much blood on my hands, Erik. You and I both know that it's not going to be me who kills Shaw."

"Ah yes, because what would Charles think?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why would I care what Charles thinks?"

Erik merely shook his head, obviously amused. "You may as well admit it now. Amaya. Or should I call you Fiammaya?"

"Amaya would do just fine." She frowned. "Admit what?"

"You like Charles. Or at least you're on your way to liking him."

"You're absurd, Erik." She rolled her eyes, stepping up to the cue and lining up the last ball.

"So you say. Raven sees it. Alex sees it. He's the one who calmed you down on the way here. Neither of you would let go of each other's hands, and he was pretty worried about what you said on the way to the Soviet and back. If you kill Shaw, you're afraid he'll see you in a different light."

She narrowed her eyes and slammed the ball into the pocket. Why did she feel like he was suddenly mocking her? So what they were close? He and Raven were close. That didn't mean anything... But she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the recent attention he'd been giving her. She liked the feeling of holding his hand, and teasing him had always been fun, but that wasn't the only reason why she couldn't kill Shaw.

"Wrong. I can't kill Shaw because he's not the one who tore apart everything I ever loved. He's the reason, but not the killer." She dropped her stick onto the table and headed towards the door. "Do me a favor. When you kill the son of a bitch, make sure you do it in the most painful way possible."

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**So... We end up finding out Amaya's relation to Shaw. And some bonding with Erik too, because the dude's awesome but I have no idea how to write the guy, and more kink talk just because. w Don't worry, Charles will find out eventually. Maybe. I don't know yet. I'm literally winging this as I go. Anywho! Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review! Hey, that kinda rhymed. Anywho and review? No? Okay...**


	12. Chapter 12: Raven Finds Out

**Glad you're enjoying the whole Erik Amaya bonding and such~ And are shipping Amaya/Charles. That makes me much happy w I wasn't sure how many people would enjoy this but so many of you are reading it and I just can't / Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

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The next day was training day. That meant getting up relatively early and working everyone. That also meant using their abilities. Lastly, that meant matching workout clothes. At least somewhat matching. Amaya had on a pair of black shorts rather than the sweatpants and Raven had on a dark blue tank top rather than the sweatshirt. Well, the trainees had on their workout clothes. Moira and Charles both wore something business casual, which was pretty out of place in the sea of gray. They were gathered in one of the living rooms, waiting for everyone to arrive. Once everyone did, Charles talking.

"I'll be working with each of you to harness and control your abilities," he began. "Alex, we'll start with you. Sean, Hank, Erik, Amaya, Raven, you're all after. Today is just the beginning, to see where you all are in your abilities and see what you need to work on."

"You're sure about this?" Alex asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm not necessarily in the best control of my abilities..."

"That's why we're here, Alex. I will help you learn to control it."

"I'd probably end up cutting you in half like the statue-"

"You _cut_ the statue in _half_? When they said you broke it I just thought you chipped it or something minor," Moira said, eyes wide.

Alex shrugged. "I can't control it..."

Charles nodded. "I know the perfect place where you can practice. Don't worry. Any other concerns?"

"Yeah-" Amaya raised her hand. "By seeing where we are in our abilities... Do we have to go all out?"

"Preferably, yes, otherwise we won't be able to see what exactly you need to work on."

"I'm not too comfortable with that..." She glanced at Erik for a moment.

Erik nodded in understanding. "I can train her with her," he cut in. "At least, until you need to see what she can do."

"That's alright... I suppose..." He nodded, though a bit unsurely. "What you do until we train is up to you. The mansion is yours to roam, though I suggest not breaking anything. Several things are antiques. Alex, if we may." Charles gestured to the doorway.

He stood up and followed him out of the room. Everyone else continued lounging in the living room, Sean crashing on one of the couches. Amaya gave Erik a silent thanks to which he merely nodded in return, standing up. He gave her a look, a silent command, to follow him out, which she did.

"She's getting along with everyone, isn't she?" Moira asked, glancing at them.

"It takes time for her to get along well with others, kinda like private bonding time with secret jokes and stuff," Raven replied. Though that was questionable. She'd never seen Amaya and Erik spend time together before and suddenly they were having silent conversations. That was strange.

"I didn't get private bonding time yet. Do I get private bonding time with Amaya?" Sean asked jokingly.

Raven laughed. "Everyone gets private bonding time with Amaya. I'm going to go train a bit myself." She gave them a bit of a wave before heading down the same way Erik and Amaya went. She was filled with curiosity and she just had to fulfill it. After the way Erik cut in that conversation, she knew he knew why Amaya was so wary about using her abilities and going all out. She wanted to know too. It's only fair, right?

She followed the sound of their voices outside. She went into one of the nearby rooms and stayed near the window. She carefully slid a window open just enough so she could hear them clearly, but made sure they didn't know or see her. She didn't know what she missed while she was still searching for them, but she knew she wasn't going to miss any more of their conversation.

"You're insane. Completely insane," Amaya said.

"No, I'm not."

"You know I can't control my abilities, especially when I go all out, and you're telling me to go all out now. You. Are. Insane."

Erik sighed. "I'll be able to protect myself unlike Charles who you can block out of your mind easily. There is much metal in the area that I can call upon for defense and restraint if needed."

"Did you not see me impale one of the researchers? And another one I tore apart because they were hurting one of the other mutants- I was eight, Erik. _Eight_."

"Yes, that was the first thing I saw when Shaw led me in. It was a rather strong first impression too."

Raven leaned back against the wall next to the window, processing what they'd said. Amaya was one of Shaw's mutant experiments and she's scared to use her abilities because of what had happened before... She didn't want to kill anyone. Raven could hardly even believe that Amaya had taken a life, like that red skinned demon who had attacked the CIA base. But unlike him, she regretted every minute of it. She could only imagine all of the guilt and despair she'd been feeling, thinking about those two lives she'd taken at an early age... Raven froze for a moment. Was it only two lives? Had she taken more?

"That was when I was eight. It's been twelve years since then. Imagine just how much more it's flourished, imagine what the hell I can do to you if I lose control. I don't want another person's blood on my hands."

"Exactly. You've been holding it back for twelve years- More than twelve years. You've been holding it back ever since you arrived at Shaw's. Fifteen years, Amaya. Fifteen years for all of that fear to gather and prosper in your powers. That mark on your neck, the one you always hide with your hair and, I'm sure, make up." He walked over and brushed her hair away from the right side of her neck where a faint black mark was covered under a layer of make up. He smudged it away and made the tattoo-like mark more prominent. "You don't need to hide it. That's a mark that you're a mutant. You need to embrace it and control your inner demon."

She scoffed. "I thought I _was_ a demon," she mumbled.

"The name's growing on you?" he asked, smirking. "I suppose I should start calling you Demon then."

"Call me whatever you want." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not doing this."

"You have to." He took out a pistol from his hoodie pocket and cocked it, pointing it towards her.

Amaya froze. "Oh you've got to be bloody kidding me."

Raven had to peek out the window to see what was happening. Her eyes widened. Was Erik being serious?

"No. I'm not. Your shadows come out to your defense, and if this is what it takes to get you to use your shadows against me, then so be it. Let's see who'll end up killing who first."

Her eyes flashed to their darker appearance as soon as the bullet was shot. Erik wasn't one to play around like that. If he threatens, then it's a definite threat. She quickly disappeared, reappearing a few feet away from where she'd been standing before, out of the line of fire. Erik twisted his hand and curved the bullet so it was following her. She disappeared again, but he just continuously curved the bullet. She wouldn't be able to get away.

"You can't keep running away, Amaya," he said. "You will get tired and killed. Stand your ground and fight back. That's why all of those people are dead. You ran away from your abilities- The full extent of them. You keep running away and pushing them down. You will never be able to take down Shaw like that. Attack! Fight!"

She growled at him, fists clenching. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Erik was right. That's all she'd been doing, running away. She had to face them head on. She had to accept what she'd done, accept her powers. That was the first step. She took a deep breath and let it out, bringing out a large shadow and hardening it as much as she could to stop the bullet before running after Erik.

A smirk curled on his lips. She was finally attacking. He was ready to use the metal pipes buried underneath their feet if needed, but her attacks were strictly physical. That wasn't what he wanted. He avoided her kicks and her punches, but they were fast. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew how to fight and how to fight well, that wasn't what they were here to do. He opened his mouth to order her to use her powers but before he could, he felt a pain in his back followed by another on his arms and legs. He spared a glance behind him and was pleasantly surprised. She was using his own shadow to attack him from behind while she pulled a barrage of attacks against his front. Things were definitely starting to take a fun turn now.

Raven watched in intrigue and apprehension. This was an actual fight and she highly doubted either of them would care if they got hurt, but it was so interesting to watch. Erik had called on his metal to help him and everything took a different turn. Amaya made him move constantly and fight back physically while using her shadows to keep the metal at bay. How they were both able to control their abilities and fight physically were unknown to her. Here she thought Amaya couldn't control it and Erik had to focus yet there they were.

Amaya pinned the man down, shadows wrapping around his body to restrain him. She pressed her forearm against his throat and held her fist above his face, shadows climbing up her arm and forming a wispy, blade like figure. Though behind her, Erik held a large, sharp edged pipe near her back, ready to pierce if needed.

"Draw," she breathed.

He nodded. "Draw."

The two dropped their abilities at the same time and Amaya got off of Erik, helping him up. "You might want to fix the pipes... I think everyone likes plumbing and water."

Raven scurried out of the room and headed back to the living room where Alex and Hank sat. It made so much more sense to her as to how and why Erik and Amaya were close. They had the same experience and they had the same score to settle with Shaw. She couldn't believe after how many years of knowing her, she never knew the extent of her childhood hardship.

"You did not."

"Yes I did."

Raven looked up, hearing Erik and Amaya bickering about something as they neared the room. "You were _not_ going easy," she said.

"Yes, I was. I could have killed you."

"And _I_ could have killed _you_. Don't hold back next time, Erik. It could get you killed," she mocked, walking in.

Raven got up and instantly hugged the girl, much to her surprise. She was supposed to be there for her. She was supposed to be her sister, yet she'd let her carry all of that sadness and trauma alone.

Amaya raised an eyebrow. "Okay... Hi to you too, Rae... What's with the hugging...?"

"I can't hug my sister?" she asked.

"Um, alright..." It wasn't often that Raven called her her sister, but it felt nice. She'd always seen Raven as an older sister anyway. It was a good reassurance that she saw her as a sister too, even though she already knew that.

"It's time to hug Amaya!" Alex grinned and joined in on the hug, calling for Hank to join in. The guy walked over and awkwardly joined as the three began to squeeze the life out of the poor girl.

"Amaya's getting squished!" Amaya complained, trying to wriggle out of their grip. She looked over to Erik for help, but he merely had a mischievous look on his face and he joined in. "Goddamn it, Erik!"

With a laugh, they released her while Charles, Sean, and Moira returned. "What's going on in here?" Charles asked, watching in entertainment.

"Charles, they're squishing me!"

"We're hugging Amaya and I missed out? I didn't even get my private bonding time with her yet!" Sean protested.

"Then hug her now, man!"

"Alex, I swear-" She whined when she was engulfed in another bone crushing hug courtesy of the ginger next to her. "Guys!"

Charles laughed, patting Sean's shoulder. "I believe that's enough for squeezing the life out of Amaya."

"_Thank_ you."

"Besides, it's about time to see where you are in your abilities."

She froze. "What? What about Hank? Or Raven? Or Erik? Why me next?"

"Would you rather stay here and have them hug you to death?"

She glanced over to the group of mutants who were grinning innocently. With a sigh, Amaya shook her head. "I like my bones and organs unsquished, thank you."

"Then follow me."

She nodded and began following him out of the room, up until Erik grabbed her arm. She looked at him questionably.

"Remember, don't try to control it. It will already to what you want it to if you accept it. It wants to protect you, so don't push it down or try to force it to do anything," he whispered.

Amaya nodded once again and jogged a bit to catch up with Charles. "Where are we going?"

"Outside. I think it would be best considering there's a lot of room and it would be easier to establish your shadows from the ones that were there from the beginning," he said, draping an arm around her and pulling her in for a one sided hug.

"Charles!" she complained.

"I felt left out," he replied as if it were completely reasonable.

"If you wanted a hug you could have just asked for one," she mumbled.

"May I have a hug?"

"No. You already took one anyway." Amaya stuck her tongue out at him and walked a bit ahead of him.

"Amaya," he chuckled.

"Fine." She huffed and turned around, wrapping her arms around him. A small smile grew on her face when she felt his arms wrap around her. She buried herself in his hold and sighed contently. She'd always loved his hugs. They were warm, safe, and it always brought a little flutter to her chest. There was something comforting about them. Before they pulled away, Charles nuzzled her neck, tickling her with his hair. She laughed and pushed him away. "You're an idiot."

Charles laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders. "I thought you called me brilliant before?"

"You're a brilliant idiot."

"That, my dear, is a contradiction."

"Psh. _You're_ a contradiction."

That earned her another laugh, making her smile grow. "You know what we haven't done in ages?" he asked.

"What?"

"One of those game nights. You used to always come to my room wanting to play a game, or talk, or for me to read you a story. You had a strange fondness of Shakespeare."

She laughed. "Yeah, I still do actually. We should do it again."

"Tonight then?"

She looked up at him and smiled, nodding. "Tonight."

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**Hey hey~ Can anyone guess what's coming up next chapter? What? Charles and Amaya moments? And several of them? Psh nawwww- Well yeah. That's kind of what I have planned actually. I ****_did_**** promise Charles/Amaya moments in the mansion and can't have too many of them while he's training everyone~ So they get some alone time~ Who's excited? I know I am! XD Anyway~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to drop a review! It's fun reading them and inspires me to write more! I might be able to post another chapter later today/tonight. I don't know how my schedule is yet. But I'm working towards another update~**


	13. Chapter 13: Do You Bite Your Thumb At Me

**Ask and thou shall receive. Enter a whole chapter to Charles and Amaya time. I had quite a bit of fun writing this, actually. Don't worry, this isn't the only night they spend talking and such. There's more to come ;) Hope it's to your liking!**

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Charles rested on the couch in his room, going through a few of the documents Moira had brought and the news on what as happening with the American government. The threat of nuclear war was inevitable, and if they didn't stop Shaw soon enough... It would be so catastrophic that he didn't even want to think about it. He returned the files to their folders and leaned back, rubbing the bridge of his nose. There was far too much pressure on them to stop a nuclear war and despite his collected composure, it was getting to him. He paused for a moment, feeling a spark of mischief in a mind that was most definitely not his own.

He chuckled. "If you plan on tickling me for revenge, I suggest hiding your thoughts better," he said.

Amaya groaned and walked around the couch, flopping down next to him. "You know, I'm not too sure about this whole more open mind thing."

"And why is that?"

"Because then you know when I'm going to attack you or something."

"I didn't have to read your mind to know. It was easy to feel your presence when your mind is full of mischief. I was able to feel it the moment you stepped in."

"Still." She lay down on his lap, looking at the table. "What were you reading?"

"Documents and the latest news on how America is taking the threat of nuclear war. It's exhausting."

"I never thought _the_ Charles Xavier would _ever_ show his tired side to _anyone_," she mocked, giving a fake gasp.

Charles merely gave an amused smile and gently ran a hand over her hair. "You're not just anyone, love."

"Aw, I'm feeling warm and bubbly inside," she murmured, relaxing to his touch.

He patted her head once and reached behind him to take a sip of his drink.

Amaya whined, turning over so she could look up at him. "Hey," she protested when he stopped petting her. "I was enjoying that."

Charles raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy being pet?"

"Yeah, it's really... I don't know, calming." She turned back onto her side and closed her eyes with a hum.

"Don't fall asleep on me now," he teased, continuing to run his fingers through her hair.

"Wouldn't dare to."

Charles glanced down at her, watching as any tension completely slipped out of her mind and was replaced by relaxation. Her face was so content and her breathing so steady, he had a hard time identifying whether she was sleeping or not, but he hardly thought it mattered either way. He smiled at the fact that she was sleeping on him, like when they were kids. He weaved his fingers through her hair, making sure they didn't accidentally get caught in a knot or something. But they never did. Her hair was smooth and tamed.

"My mother used to do this," Amaya suddenly said.

"She used to do what?"

"Pet my head like this... I remember that whenever I had a bad dream or couldn't go to sleep or just felt scared, insecure, she'd always pet my head like this. It was just one of those things that she did..."

That was a nice surprise to Charles. She never talked about her family. When they asked about them before, she'd always give a stone cold glare and walk away, so they gave up trying to talk to her with that particular subject. But here she was, talking about her mother with him. He smiled softly, unable to help the rise of happiness within him that she felt she could talk to him about things like that, about her past.

"Do you remember her?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Somewhat... Not too well, but I remember how kind she was, and how protective. Her and Dad never let anything happen to us... It rubbed off on my older brother and I which eventually got us into a lot of trouble..." She snickered as memories flooded through her mind, both happy and sad.

"You have an older brother?" He never would have guessed she'd have siblings.

"An older and a younger, both by five years. He'd be a year older than you right now, Kurai, and my younger, Akarui."

"Let me guess, they were the male versions of you? Mischievous, playful, and sometimes a pain in the arse?" he asked with a small grin.

Amaya lightly hit him, knowing he meant no harm in the question. "Sometimes. Though I was the mischievous one in the family. Always got in trouble. Kurai, he was surprisingly mature for his age. He knew how to take care of us and was actually quite responsible. Rui on the other hand... I don't know. He was just a baby the last time I saw him and damn, did he cry loud."

The last time she saw him? That would mean that she was around five or six... "What happened?"

Amaya opened her eyes, staring at the table. A wry smile curled on the corners of her lips. "Our family couldn't withstand the impending storm..." She let out a breath and sat up before Charles could respond. "Well, that's enough nostalgia for a lifetime. What do you want to do? Chess? Cards? Oh! We could play poker! Or if you're feeling adventurous, strip poker~"

He wasn't taken back by the sudden change of mood. He knew her well enough to know she changed the subject to keep from getting too deep into her past life. Though he did quirk an eyebrow at her suggestions. "Strip poker?" he repeated. "When have you ever played?"

"Several times." She waved that thought away.

Charles frowned, his stomach churning uneasily. She'd played strip poker _several_ times before? Was she even any good at the game? Had she ever lost and shown... Well... _Everything_ because of it? He hated that thought.

"A good bluff is all it takes to win. The most I've lost were my shoes and socks. I'm pretty good at cards."

He felt a flood of relief wash through him. "If you're pretty good at cards and you're suggesting strip poker..."

"Well, who knows? You could be a damn genius at poker and I'd end up losing. Or if you used your 'mystical mind powers' I'd lose. Though there's also the chance I'd win. Either way, it'd be a pretty interesting game." She winked at him.

Charles pulled her towards him, a smirk playing on his lips. "I can't tell what you'd enjoy more, the game, or the show that would fall with it," he murmured lowly in her ear.

His voice sent shivers down her spine, pleasant shivers. It was a different turn to see Charles actually acting back to her constant teasing. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing what you have to hide under those fancy jackets," she replied, turning her head to face him. "You're playing a dangerous game, Charlie. Remember what I said to Alex to get him out of the game? You don't know what'll come out of my mouth."

"Maybe so, but I may surprise you, love."

"So I guess it's the blushing game then? With a bit of a twist?"

"I believe it's a bit more than a twist. Shall we play a game?"

Amaya was the first to break, turning away with a laugh. She couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment or disbelief, maybe a bit of both. She'd never expected Charles to play along or even suggest so. The way he was speaking, in that low, husky voice she'd never heard before, and how close he was holding her, she was sure she'd lose almost instantly.

"What?" he asked, smiling.

"Nothing it's just... I've never seen this side of you." That was true. He usually reserved this side for his random hook ups in bars. "Next thing I know you'll be using that 'groovy mutation' one liner you _always_ use."

"I don't always use that."

"No, you always do. Always. Every time-"

"Alright, alright," he laughed. "I always do. I don't necessarily see what's wrong with it."

"Charlie. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie." Amaya tsked, shaking her head in disappointment. "You have several things to learn about women, dearest. Not all women like being called a mutant. That, and you honestly need new pick up lines."

"How did my life get to the point where you're giving me dating tips?"

"Not dating tips, pick up tips," she corrected. "Besides, all women are different. We all have different preferences."

"What's yours?" The conversation peaked his interest. The thought had been in the back of his mind for a while now, ever since that incident in the bar when they found out that she often went out and ended up getting several men's numbers. He wasn't pleased with the thought. Not at all, but he did wonder.

"Mine?" She hummed, looking up in thought. "Well, we all know I've got a hair fetish. So that's number one. Two, he's not a jackass. I'm not dealing with that shit. Three... I don't know. It's just kind of that thing where we talk and I know if I'm interested in him or not."

"That's so specific."

"Oh hush. We all know _your_ preference, Mr. Groovy Mutation."

"What is my preference then?"

"Any pretty girl you find in a bar who has a remotely mild mutation. I mean, come on. Moira and the whole auburn thing, that girl and the whole heterochromia thing-"

"Last time I checked you have heterochromia as well."

"Yes, but mine has more meaning than just a result of relative excess or lack of melanin," she countered.

"I'm just impressed you know that."

Amaya gaped at him and hit his chest. "Jerk."

Charles only laughed. "You know, I can't remember why we ever stopped having these nights."

"You got all hyped up on researching mutations and mutants." Amaya shrugged. "That and I graduated high school. I usually came by for help on homework."

"We never ended up getting anything done. We'd always end up getting side tracked," he remembered.

"Mhm. We should start doing it again. I forgot how fun it was."

"Indeed we should." Charles stretched and got up, causing Amaya to fall over on the couch, much to her protest. "Give me a moment. I'm going to change."

"Why?"

"Because it's rather uncomfortable sleeping in business casual." He chuckled, heading over to his drawers. He glanced back at Amaya and cleared his throat.

She raised an eyebrow.

Charles gave her a look. "I'm changing, Amaya."

"So? It's not like you're taking off your underwear or anything. Besides, I _am_ curious as to what you're hiding underneath your clothes." She grinned and winked.

"Amaya."

"Alright, alright." She held her hands up in defense and got up to look through some of the books he had laying around and to keep busy while he changed. She ran her fingers over a few of the books, many of them of a scientific nature, though a few were for pleasure reads. "Are you done yet?" She asked, glancing to him.

"Almost," he replied, taking a plain white shirt.

Amaya smirked, raising an eyebrow when she saw his bare back to her. "Wow, so _that's_ what you've been hiding under those fancy dress shirts of yours."

Charles' head quickly turned around to her and he sighed, walking over while putting on the shirt. "Can't a man have privacy while changing in his own home?"

"It's not a big deal. You've seen me shirtless before, so now we're even, I suppose?"

"I only saw you shirtless because I needed to change your bandages," he corrected, taking a seat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard.

Amaya wandered over and lay down next to him, resting against the man when he placed his arm around her. "Still. You've got nothing to complain about, that's all I'm saying. Oh, and nice obliques."

"Honestly, you and your obliques." Charles commented.

"Sh, they're hot. I mean, really. Awesome guy with awesome hair and awesome obliques? God_damn_ did _they_ get hit with the pretty stick."

Charles rolled his eyes and shook his head. He ruffled her hair. "I question what you think, sometimes."

She puffed her cheeks out, looking up at him. "Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"

He hung his head and laughed silently. "I do bite my thumb, sir." He might as well play along. She'd repeat herself until he did.

"Do you bite your thumb at _me_, sir?"

"No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I _do_ bite my thumb, sir."

"Do you quarrel, sir?"

"_Quarrel_, sir! No, sir."

"Lies. I think you quarrel."

"That's not the next line, you know."

"Next line be damned, I'm tired." As if to prove it, she let out a yawn and lay her head on his chest.

Charles smiled and pulled the blanket up to cover them. "Then go ahead and sleep."

"Already workin on it, sweetheart."

"Then good night, Amaya."

"Night, Charles..."

He began to stroke her head once again. She _did_ say it helped her sleep, and they had a rather long day today. The first of several. He forgot how long it had been since they had this much fun together. It felt like a lifetime, especially due to all of the preparations to fight against Shaw, him working for his professor's degree. Time had gone so fast, she was growing up before his eyes. It filled him with great pleasure knowing that they were still able to have enjoyment like this together, but for how much longer? Even if they did succeed in stopping Shaw, she'd end up finding someone to love eventually. Her and Raven both, but for some reason, he hated the thought of her acting like this with anyone else. He didn't want her to find someone and leave them, leave _him_. He turned off the lamp and looked down at her, kissing her forehead and shutting his eyes. It was probably just exhaustion talking.

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**Oh I still have quite a bit planned for these two, just you wait. And guys, that thumb scene from Romeo and Juliet. I just ****_had_**** to do something with it because it's awesome. I mean, really. XD Starting to type up the next chapter! May update tonight, if not, tomorrow morning! Drop a review, tell me what you thought about their night or maybe anything you wanna see between the two? I still have much planned X3**


	14. Chapter 14: She Realizes She's Falling

**Had one hell of a night last night, I didn't even get home until 12 and I literally woke up like twenty minutes ago. BUT! I had to finish this chapter and post it because I promised an update in the morning :3 So here it is!**

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Charles stirred awake at the light flooding his through his window. It took him a moment to remember that Amaya fell asleep in his bed when he questioned the weight on his arm where her head lay. He glanced at the sleeping girl and smiled, almost laughing. Sometimes she was quite still when sleeping, other times she was restless. Last night seemed to be one of her restless nights considering how tangled and messed up her hair was. He lightly brushed away some strands of hair from her face, making her nose scrunch up a bit before burying her face in his chest.

He couldn't help but chuckle. How cute. He was about to do it again, but a knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. _Come in_, he projected. He was sure if he moved or said anything, Amaya would wake up.

"Charles, breakfast is-" Raven walked into the room and paused, looking between him and the girl still sleeping in his arms.

He brought a finger up to his lips signaling her to remain quiet. _Breakfast is ready?_

She nodded. _Yeah, I came up here to tell you. I was wondering where Amaya was, I stopped by her room first. _Raven's lips curled into a smirk. _So, what was going on up here?_

Charles rolled his eyes. _Don't you start. We'll be down in a few moments._

_Alright~ _That definitely wasn't the end of that conversation. If Charles wasn't going to talk, she was going to make Amaya talk. _Don't take too long. I have a feeling either Alex or Sean's going to take your food too if you don't._

_Thank you, Raven_.

She grinned and nodded, shutting the door behind her. Charles looked down and lightly shook Amaya. "Amaya, it's time to wake up."

Amaya scrunched her nose again and squeezed her eyes shut, tightening her arms around him.

He shook her again. "It's time for breakfast."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled, turning over onto her stomach.

"Five more minutes and Alex will probably eat your food."

"Then I'll castrate him."

"Amaya."

She sighed at his tone and rolled onto her back with a yawn. She glanced up at him. "Morning."

"Morning." He chuckled and got out of bed. "Today's a busy day. Best we go down and eat breakfast before it's all gone."

"Right, right." She let out another yawn and sat up, running a hand through her tangled hair.

Charles glanced back at her with a wide smile. Her hair was even messier than how it looked when she was lying down.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your hair looks lovely today, my dear."

Amaya gave him a look and threw one of his pillows at him. "Shut up!"

He laughed and left the room. _I'll leave you to do what you need to._

_Damn straight. Jackass._

He could hear her grumbling even as he went down to join everyone else. They had already begun eating. It seemed like they were the only ones who overslept. Erik looked up from his cup of coffee. "Well, look who's finally decided to wake up."

Charles wiped a hand over his face and took his seat. "It was a late night."

"Is Amaya still sleeping?"

He shook his head. "She's having a bit of a problem with her hair. She should be down soon-"

"Ow! _Son_ of a _bitch_!"

"Or now," Alex snickered.

Amaya walked in, frowning. Her hair had been brushed through and was now how it normally was, but the pain in her throbbing toe pissed her off to no end. It was such a great way to start the morning. She sat down next to Raven and gave Charles a warning look. "Not. One. Word."

He held his hands up in surrender before eating. _I do always tell you to wear slippers or shoes._

Amaya gave him a bitch face and stuck her tongue out before picking at her food. "Not my fault someone put a wall there. It's a stupid wall," she mumbled.

"I take it Amaya's not a morning person?" Sean asked, snickering.

"Not in the least. She hates being woken up by anyone. I remember when we were younger and Charles woke her up, she threatened to eat his children," Raven laughed.

Amaya felt her face heat up. "I was thirteen! And I had no sleep!"

"I'm still insulted that you want to eat my children. Cannibalism is not embraced in many societies, Amaya."

"Shut it Charles, I will sit on you," she threatened.

_Feel free to, love_.

She gaped at him and huffed, eating her food indignantly.

_So you're not going to sit on me?_

_Shut up Charles._

_Is that a no?_

She shot him a glare and got up from her seat. She took her food with her and set it next to Charles' plate before sitting on his lap and continuing to eat. _There. Happy now?_

_Yes, actually._

She rolled her eyes at his tone but didn't say anything. Charles wrapped one arm around her waist and use his other hand to continue eating. Amaya absolutely refused to look up, knowing that they were staring at them. Her face felt like it was on fire and she knew she was blushing madly. Charles seemed perfectly fine and content. It didn't even seem like it was bothering him. In reality, he was rather embarrassed as well.

"See, she completely blushes when she's on his lap but I'm the one who ends up blushing when she's on me? Dude," Alex teased, giving her a sly grin.

She redirected her glare on him, but the effect was severely lessened due to her blush. "I hate you all."

Charles merely chuckled and finished up quickly. "Alright, Hank. Were you able to make what I asked you to?"

He nodded. "Both are only a prototype, but they should do the job."

"Excellent. Alex, Sean, we will be starting with you two again. Hank, you're after. Amaya, we'll do yours at night since that is when your powers are at their peak. Erik, we're working on yours first thing tomorrow. Raven, I don't believe we honestly need to work on yours. You have control of your abilities and have had control for quite some time now. Moira, I believe you're keeping up with the news?"

The woman nodded. "The CIA sends me information and I'm keeping an eye out on the TV and radio as well."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go change." He shifted so that Amaya would be able to sit and he was able to get up, leaving the room.

Amaya kept her eyes downcast now that her partner in crime wasn't around to take the heat off, even though he seemed perfectly fine. She could practically feel the expectant and questioning stares of everyone in the room. She scarfed the rest of her food down and excused herself, scurrying out of the room.

Raven laughed. She'd _never_ seen Amaya embarrassed before. Oh this was going to be a fun time.

.:-:-:.

The night of training was pretty uneventful. Well, the actual training was. It was mostly about not letting her abilities overwhelm her and taking what Erik had said prior to into consideration. As they walked back into the mansion, they could hear a loud blasting of music coming from one of the living rooms. Laughter filled the otherwise silent night air. Amaya raised an eyebrow and ran over, dragging Charles with her. She laughed, watching as Sean could barely coordinate himself to dance with Raven.

"Come on, Sean," she giggled. "It's not that hard!"

"It is! I've never done this salsa dancing or tango or whatever it is. I barely even dance in general!" The ginger protested.

"Fine, Alex, you try- Amaya! Perfect! Come over here and show the guys how to dance!"

Amaya laughed once again and joined Raven in the middle. "So, am I going to be the guy or the girl in this situation?"

"Doesn't matter. Teach the guys how to do the guy part. I haven't been able to dance with _anyone_ except for Erik."

"Metal brain? Surprising." She heard Erik chuckle at the comment. "Ready whenever you are, Rae."

The blonde counted off a few times before starting to move. Amaya quickly fell into rhythm with her, swaying to the lively music. It had more of a Spanish flare than what they were dancing to in the CIA base. Amaya grinned, and spun Raven around, though she had to duck under her arm considering their height difference. Raven glanced over to Charles and shot him a wink, seeing the way he was watching them, or more specifically Amaya. Now the only thing was to get them to dance together and see where that leads. After a minute or two, the girls paused.

"See? Not that hard," Raven said.

"Yes, that hard. I am _not_ moving my hips like that," Alex replied.

"Why not?"

"It's weird..."

"Dude, a girl loves a guy who knows how to use his hips, and how to use them well," Amaya commented.

Alex smirked. "Is that another one of your kinks?"

"Shhh, we know too much about Amaya's preferences already," she laughed. "Come on, let's see what you've got, Havok."

Alex let out a whine, but began trying anyway while Raven tried dancing with Hank. Through the entirety, Alex grumbled under his breath whenever he had difficulty with certain moves. Amaya merely watched in entertainment when the guy almost tripped over his own feet and let out a curse. It seemed like he had enough torture, so being the gracious girl she was, she glanced over to Sean to silently ask him if he wanted to take Alex's place. The boy laughed and held his hands up in response. He was enjoying just sitting back and watching Alex and Hank mess up in embarrassment. Amaya rolled her eyes and diverted her gaze to Charles, feeling her smile falter when she saw him laugh at something Moira had said, making the woman laugh as well.

"Charlie!" Amaya called. "Come on! Dance!"

He looked over and chuckled, shaking his head.

"C'mon."

"I rather not. I don't dance."

She gave him a look and walked over. "You and I know that's bull. You dance."

"Not well."

"Nuh uh, you dance- Well... You're not _that_ bad." She grinned, tugging on his arm. "Come on! I'll teach you, promise. And you _know_ I won't stop until you agree."

He sighed and nodded. "Excuse me, Moira."

She merely smiled at the both of them and let Amaya drag the professor off into the middle of the living room.

"Ready?"

"Not really."

She rolled her eyes and hit him. "Come on, just follow my lead."

He hesitated when she started to move. He danced, somewhat, but not dances like this. Charles attempted to follow what she was doing, eventually gaining more confidence the longer they danced. She grinned at him and spun, getting more into it. Charles chuckled and exaggerated his moves a bit more, like what she was doing. Amaya laughed while improvising, throwing him off, but not for long. He quickly caught up and continued to dance with her.

At this point, Erik was lounging on the couch, sipping out of his glass whilst watching everyone. Raven caught his eye and nodded. He inconspicuously forced one of the nails of the floorboard to jut out, though covered by the carpet. Charles' eyes widened slightly when he felt himself trip backwards, landing hard on the carpet and unfortunately pulling Amaya down with him.

"Ow..." she groaned. "Clumsy, are we?"

Raven grinned at Erik and nodded. Perfect.

"I told you I wasn't that good at dancing, love," Charles chuckled.

"So you did." Amaya snickered and looked up at him, only realizing how close they actually were. She was laying on top of him, his hands resting on her hips. She could practically see every shade of blue his crystalline eyes were and how soft his hair looked. She absentmindedly reached up, lightly brushing her fingers through, and man were they soft.

"Amaya...?"

Charles' voice jolted her out of her thoughts and she hastily got off of him, coughing awkwardly. "Right, sorry."

He smiled back and shook his head. "It's quite alright, really."

"Charles, I think I found something you might want to see," Moira called, looking through a few papers.

"Right." He nodded to Amaya and walked over to Moira, heading into a separate room with her.

Amaya let out a sigh. So much for more dancing. She glanced over to everyone else, not liking the looks on their faces. "Uh, I'm going to- Water," she said, quickly leaving the room and heading to the kitchen.

She heard Raven's laughter as she left, amused by the girl's antics. It wasn't just an excuse to leave, though. She had to get a drink and recollect her thoughts. She didn't like the way Moira looked at Charles and the way they were able to have such a good time. It was weird... But her stomach clenched at the thought. Besides, she didn't get to see him too often anymore after being wrapped up with the CIA business and Shaw, and now training. Last night was different, that was an exception, but _would_ they be able to continue on with those nights? She certainly hoped so. She enjoyed it, a lot. Especially the teasing. It thrilled her that Charles actually teased back.

Amaya groaned and it her head on the fridge. She kept feeling weird around Charles, and whenever he left, she always wanted to go with. Well, she'd always wanted to go with before, but it felt different. She loved the way he held her when she slept, the way he continuously pet her hair to lull her to sleep, even the way he held her just now, when they woke up, his slightly hoarse voice... The thought of it brought blood rushing to her cheeks. She froze and cursed herself, dropping the glass in the sink before heading upstairs, repeatedly cursing mentally. She was stupid to have let this happen and to not even see it until now.

Amaya made her way over to Raven's door and knocked quickly. She could hear the girl shuffling over before the door even opened.

"Amaya, hey- What's wrong?"

She looked up, biting her lip. "Rae, I think I have a problem..."

"What is it?"

"I think- No. No think. Scratch off think-"

Raven snickered. "Mai, what is it?"

She took a deep breath. If anyone could help her, it was Raven. "I'm falling for your brother..."

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**So... Amaya finally comes into terms with her feelings... And goes to Rae for advice because sisters 3 I want a sister... I only have a brother and he barely even talks to me. Mer... Anyone have any siblings? Oh well. Hope you guys enjoyed! I'll try to get in another chapter this afternoon/tonight, but today's busy busy. If not today ****_definitely_**** tomorrow. Don't forget to review! PEACE!**


	15. Chapter 15: Finally

**Here's another update because I love you all! :D Kinda in a hurry, we're about to leave, but I ****_had_**** to leave an update. Hope you enjoy it!**

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Charles had visited Raven earlier, wanting to talk to her about something. Before he _could_ start talking about it though, the door had been knocked upon and he heard Amaya's voice. He didn't miss Raven's thoughts, telling him to hide somewhere. She had a feeling she knew what they both wanted to talk about and she was sure neither would talk if they knew the other was here. At least she could get Amaya to talk and then she'd speak with Charles after. Charles walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him but not all the way as to make it click. He didn't necessarily try to eavesdrop on the conversation, it was just that he couldn't help it, and what Amaya said definitely made him ecstatic.

"I'm falling for your brother..."

She was falling for him. His heart gave a little leap and he felt a broad grin stretch across his lips. That is, until he remembered the first thing she said. She said she had a problem. That caused the smile to fade. Why would it be a problem if she liked him?

Raven merely smiled and stepped aside to let her in. Amaya walked over and took a seat on her bed, following her with her eyes. Raven was dressed rather nice, wearing a short blue, long sleeved dress. She was putting on her earrings while going to sit next to Amaya on the bed.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"I was going to help Hank with his research. That doesn't matter right now," she quickly said, seeing Amaya give her a smirk. "What matters is the whole thing going on between you and Charles."

The smirk fell of her face. "Right..."

"It's about time!" Raven grinned, lightly shoving her shoulder.

Amaya blinked and looked up. "What?"

"Honestly, you two. If neither of you admitted anything I would have locked you in a closet until you did. I mean, I may still have to lock you two in a closet if you don't do anything. But-"

"Wait, what? What do you mean 'it's about time'?"

Raven gave her a look. "Amaya, are you serious? Everyone sees it. I even asked Erik to trip one of you so that little incident could happen and things would speed up. Good thing I did, too. I got the results I wanted." First Charles and now Amaya, the plan went _very_ well. "So... What's the problem?"

"The problem is, I don't know what to do."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... It's Charles. I just... I don't know. It's nothing, you're going to be late. We can talk later-"

"We both know that's not going to happen. C'mon, you know you can tell me anything."

She sighed. "I mean, I feel like I don't know how I'd act around him anymore? I just... I mean, I want to you know... You know..."

"Be with him?" she asked with a snicker.

"Yeah. But like, I don't know. God, I feel like a helpless, lovesick puppy or something."

Raven laughed and patted her back. "You're making it seem like such a big deal."

"It is! I mean, it's _Charles_, you know? This is the guy we've grown up with and have always been with for like, ever. We're his sisters for God's sake, it's just... Weird."

"Amaya, not _once_ have I ever heard Charles call you his sister. _Ever_. When he introduces us to people it's always 'my sister, Raven, and my good friend, Amaya'. He never says 'my sisters'."

"Yeah, but it's like... We've been so close for so long and then suddenly bam, I like him. I mean, I think I've liked him for a while now? I just never acknowledge it? I don't know. But now that I know I like him... It just feels so weird..."

"You know how to flirt, I've seen you."

"Yeah, but-"

"This is _Charles_," Raven finished, giggling. "I never knew how different you thought of him from others."

"Well yeah... He's not just some random guy who peaks my interest. I mean, I've always liked being near him and doing stuff with him, and when he gives me special attention, I don't know. Like I just get really happy..." She pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest. "And I get all tingly when he whispers in my ear or teases me... And whenever we touch, like even for something like just dancing or just an accidental brush, his feeling lingers..."

Charles smiled softly when he heard his affect on her. It was good to know it wasn't just him who felt the same.

"Now you know your feelings and have gotten that straight. That's good," Raven said. "Give it a try. You never know, you know."

"What? That he'd go for me?"

"Believe it or not, we can see that Charles has feelings for you too."

"Please. He's just humoring me. I'm the most rash person I know. I swear like a sailor. I almost _always _disobey him. I'm a child, I'm reckless. I get angry so easily. It's not like I'm the prettiest either. I can't control my mutation. I can't control _myself. _I'm scarred both inside and out... I'm just a huge mess, Rae. Why would he?"

"You really believe all of that...?"

She shrugged, looking down.

"Amaya, he's not just humoring you. Being rash, being reckless, that's part of your personality. So what you always disobey him? You don't _have _to follow everything he says. It doesn't matter if you can't control your mutation, he's helping all of us. We accept you with your scars, no matter how much of a mess you think you are, we still love you, and I'm damn sure Charles does too. As for your appearance, Amaya, you're beautiful. Honestly, I'm not just saying that because you're my sister. Don't _ever _think you're not. No matter what anyone says, you are... Do you honestly not think he'll reciprocate your feelings?"

She chuckled ruefully. "I'm just scared that somewhere down the line he'll change them."

"Why would he?"

Amaya placed her chin on her arms and didn't respond. Raven guessed that it was about her past. She knew how worried she was about what they would think of her if they knew. She'd taken two lives when she was younger, Shaw's research assistants, and she knew how Charles was. Raven understood why she was worried, but at the same time, she knew Charles wouldn't just change his feelings because of that. The blonde scooted over and wrapped her arms around her. Raven thought she was just insecure about her past, she had no idea how insecure about herself she really was. That's two things she didn't know. Raven sighed, what a great sister she was being.

"Trust him, Amaya. Whatever you're nervous about, it's part of you and part of your life. If he can't accept that then I guess we just don't know Charles. But I know he _will_. No matter what, we'll always love you."

She rested her head on Raven's shoulder and nodded. She unwrapped herself from Raven's hold, heading out of the room. "I hope so. Good luck on your date with Hank."

Raven bit her lip. She wanted to tell her she knew if it would be able to ease her a bit, but then she'd wonder how and she didn't know how Amaya would react to that. She'd almost forgotten that Charles was hiding and was caught off guard when she saw him emerge.

"Geez, Charles. You almost gave me a heart attack," she gasped.

"Sorry, love." He gave her a small smile.

"It's alright. So. You heard Amaya's side." She waggled her eyebrows. "Still unsure about where you should go from here for your little evident upcoming relationship?"

"No. I just... The thing about me changing my mind later, it's about her past, isn't it?"

"I guess. You know how she is with it. You two get together already, I _will _do the thing where I lock you in a closet."

Charles chuckled. "I know you will. Have fun with Hank."

"Have fun with Amaya~" Raven shot him a wink before heading out of the room.

Charles smiled and made his way to his room, sending Amaya a telepathic message. He knew he caught her by surprise from the jump in her mind. He changed while she was still on her way, unable to help but think of what she said earlier. He thought of different ways of how he can show her how his feelings without her being suspicious that the heard their conversation. She was a smart girl, she'd be able to put two and two together especially if he just suddenly did it now.

He wandered over to his bedside table and picked up one of the books, smiling. This was one of her favorites, always had been. She had a certain fondness for Shakespeare. He remembered when she found out about all of the books he had, all of the plays, she wouldn't leave his room until she read all of them. Maybe it would give him some ideas. He took the book and sat down on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Charles only opened it to a certain page before Amaya knocked on the door.

"Come in!" he called.

He saw her head peek in first before she entered, giving him a smile. "You know, I'll never be used to you not wearing something fancy."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you _wearing _something fancy."

"I never wear anything fancy."

"Exactly."

She laughed, though it was slightly strained. She was trying hard to act normal, Charles couldn't help but smile at the attempt. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"One of your favorites." He tilted the cover so she could see what it was, and almost instantly, he saw her eyes light up.

"Romeo and Juliet?"

He nodded. "It's been a while since I've read it. I saw it earlier, so why not?" He paused for a moment, an idea forming in his head. "Care to read with me?"

"I guess." Amaya shuffled over and sat next to him. Like the previous night, he wrapped an arm around her and held her close. "Who am I going to be?"

"Juliet, of course," he chuckled.

"Oh... Alright. Where are we starting?"

"I actually just left off at the balcony scene. If you want, I can start so you see where to start reading."

Amaya nodded. "Sounds good."

"By a name, I know not how to tell thee who I am. My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself because it is an enemy to thee. Had I it written, I would tear the word."

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?"

"Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike." They continued to read off the lines. Amaya absolutely loved the way he spoke Shakespeare's language. Maybe it was the fact that he had an accent, but she just loved how it sounded coming from him. Charles loved the way she got into the character, as if she were actually Juliet. She always got deep into the character even when they were just reading a normal story or a poem. He loved her passion when it came to literature and he found that the way she stumbled over a word or two was rather adorable as well. She may love Shakespeare, but she wasn't used to the language. "I would not for the world they saw thee here," Amaya read.

"I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes, and but thou love me, let them find me here..."

She glanced up to him only to find that his eyes weren't even on the book. They were fixed on her. Those beautiful clear blue eyes filled with kindness and love were so close. He brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek for a moment, a blessed moment.

"My life were better ended by their hate than death proroguèd, wanting of thy love," he murmured in that low voice she rarely ever heard.

Her eyes glanced down to his lips for a second as he spoke the words of the famous playwright she was so attached to before returning to his bright blue eyes. Amaya found herself leaning up towards the man, pausing only a few millimeters from his lips for a moment before tentatively brushing her lips against his. It was such a soft, sweet kiss that was over before Charles even knew it. Amaya pulled back, her face burning.

"Sorry," she quickly said, looking down. "Sorry-"

"Don't be." Charles cupped her cheek and brought her lips back to his own, dropping the book and wrapping his other arm around her waist to pull her closer. Amaya was taken back, but only for a second. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled herself up onto her knees, never breaking contact once. She absolutely loved the feeling of his lips. Charles pulled her onto his lap, feeling her fingers thread through his hair. The two pulled away, resting their foreheads against each other.

"Wow..." she whispered.

Charles smiled, pecking her lips. "Wow," he agreed. "I guess I don't have to wonder about your stance on this whole thing, do I?"

She laughed. "I'd be more than happy to show you again..."

His smile widened. "Be my guest."

* * *

**I brought back Shakespeare. Ye B) I'm cool like that. The two finally kissed~ Multiple times~ Awww 3 How to write kiss thought, bruh. Like, I can't. XD Don't worry, there's obviously more to come. Get ready for the next chappie, guys! Don't forget to review~**


	16. Chapter 16: Training and Relaxation

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday! End of the year stuff is really getting me busy. I have a project and a seminar, and two tests. It's the end of the year, why you give so much work?! Merrr. Anyway, I ****_had_**** to get a chapter out today. Sorry if it feels a bit rushed or seems shorter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, hey! Here comes the happy couple!" Alex announced as Amaya and Charles walked in.

It was Alex and Sean's turn to make the food this morning. Raven was helping out, she'd always been an early riser. Erik was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. Hank and Moira were doing their respective works, Hank doing research and Moira reading CIA intel. It was surprising that they hadn't burnt anything yet, but under Raven's watchful eye they highly doubted they'd be able to, even if it was by accident.

"You're up and not angry, Amaya? That's a surprise, how'd that happen?" Raven asked.

"Charles just has a special way of waking me up I guess," she answered, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Kinky, that's something new," Erik commented, his gaze never lifting from the paper.

"Oh my god, no-"

Charles chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Let him think what he wants, love."

"Still, that's kinda embarrassing."

"And he's can make her blush! Oh this is just perfect. It's about damn time too," Raven scolded.

"Agreed," the other males chorused.

Amaya rolled her eyes and took a seat. "Oh shut up, all of you."

"But in all seriousness, Amaya, we're happy for you two." Raven hummed, turning off one of the stoves.

She stuck her tongue out and folded her arms, huffing. Charles smiled and took a seat next to her. "I may have gotten her up without much trouble, but I highly doubt she's in that good of a mood."

"I hate mornings."

"I know, love." He pecked her cheek before letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Aw, that's so cute. 'I know, love'," Raven repeated, snickering.

"I'm happy for you, but please don't tell me you're going to be one of _those_ couples," Alex commented, distributing the eggs on the plates.

"What do you mean one of _those_ couples?" Amaya asked, glancing at him.

"You know. The ones who can't ever keep their hands off of each other and do the whole pet name thing and talk to each other like they're babies- Oh and PDA."

She deadpanned. "Do I seem like the type of person to do that sort of thing? And Charles too? I mean, that's so out of character for both of us."

"Thank you-"

"Though if you piss me off, I will start making out with him in front of you."

"_Please_ don't."

"Then don't piss me off~" She grinned evilly. She enjoyed blackmailing people, it was just kind of fun. Of course, she wouldn't blackmail anyone on something serious. Just playful things like this.

"Easy, love. No need to get so evil mastermind," Charles said.

She pouted. "Why? It's fun."

"I'll tickle you again."

Amaya gaped. "You're blackmailing me?"

"Not necessarily blackmailing," he hummed innocently. "Merely telling you your consequence."

"Blackmailing. Or threatening." She pouted again, slumping back in her seat.

Alex laughed. "Karma's a bitch, Amaya."

"Karma may be a bitch, but I can be a bigger one, Allie." She smirked and winked.

"Good luck with her, Charles. I have a feeling you'll need it."

"I feel so insulted now."

Charles chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him. "I don't think I'd need luck."

She smiled brightly at Charles and stuck her tongue out at Alex. He laughed while he and Sean set the table, Raven leaving to get the others for breakfast. It didn't take long for Moira and Hank to come in with Raven. Everyone seemed hungry and breakfast took longer than usual that day. Hank smiled at Amaya and Charles. Surprisingly enough, he saw the chemistry between them. Moira on the other hand seemed a bit saddened, but she was still glad that they were together.

"I say enough with this mushy feelings and we begin eating before they start making puppy dog eyes at each other," Erik intervened good naturedly.

"You're just still mad that I tied with you last time we sparred," Amaya said, taking a bite out of the eggs.

"I went easy on you."

"Did not~"

Erik rolled his eyes and began eating. He was not starting that argument over again. "Charles, what's the plan with training today?"

"Sean, we'll be working with you first today."

"Are we going to try flying again?"

"Yes."

"Oh great."

He chuckled. "Alex, meet me in the bunker at after lunch, Hank, we'll train after him. Erik, you'll start tomorrow. Amaya, at night as always, or at least sunset."

"Cool, in the meantime, who wants to spar and get their asses kicked?" Amaya looked around hopefully.

"No sparring today, Amaya," Erik said, sipping on his coffee.

She turned to the blond man. "Alex?"

He shook his head. "You kicked my ass enough in the base."

"Not sparring," Sean quickly said, Hank nodding in agreement.

"You guys all suck. Rae?"

Raven shrugged. "If you teach me how, sure."

"Oh that's the easy part. The hard part is actually putting it to use and being able to think on your feet, fast and under pressure."

"At least take it easy, you two," Charles warned. "I rather not have my sister and my girlfriend end up actually hurting each other."

Amaya felt her face flush, but she beamed. She was his girlfriend. Being called that brought butterflies to her stomach. She leaned up and kissed the corner of his lips. "We won't, don't worry."

"Good. Let's get this day started then."

.:-:-:.

Alex rubbed his back, making his way around the back to go inside and get some ice. Damn those girls knew how to kick. He changes his mind for a second and it's one of the worst mistakes of his life. He blinked, seeing someone blur by. That had to be Hank considering he and Charles were running around the mansion. He found Charles not even a few seconds later and Hank was with him.

"Impressive, Hank," he scoffed. "With feet like those, all you need is a red nose. Right, Bozo?"

Hank frowned at him and turned around to walk away. "I'm done here."

"Thank you, Alex," Charles sighed. Why did this boy make it a point to make comments like those. "Come on, Hank."

"I'm tired, Professor," he replied, heading inside.

Tired or just didn't want to deal with Alex, he had a feeling it was both. Charles turned to the boy in front of him. "What exactly happened to your back?"

"Your sister and your girlfriend know how to kick. Very hard. I go to spar once, but it was when they were really intense-" He shook his head. "Bad decision."

"Go put some ice on that, you'll be fine."

"Workin' on it, Prof."

Charles gave him a smile and patted his shoulder, passing by him. "Alex! W-"

"She's in the field somewhere. They're not sparring though, Raven went in a while ago," he called back, already knowing what the man was going to ask.

"Thank you." He nodded to Alex before making his way to where the blond had come from. He spotted the girl sitting in the middle of the field, her back to him. As far as he could tell, she was just sitting there, a large shadow spread underneath her almost like a marker for where she was. He walked over and took a seat behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. She relaxed back against him, opening her eyes. The shadows she had manipulated disappeared back to their natural spots.

"Hi."

"Hello." Charles smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of her lips. "Were you enjoying the view?"

"Meditating."

"Meditating?" He repeated.

"Mhm." She nodded and linked her fingers with his, seeing how much larger his hands were. She smiled and linked their fingers together, beaming at perfect it felt.

"What are you so happy about, love?"

"Everything, I guess."

"Oh?"

"Mhm." She let out a sigh and looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

Charles raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "What is it?"

Amaya merely smiled and brought a hand up to cup the back of his head. She pulled him down to meet her lips. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile as she pulled back.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Because I wanted to."

"Well then..." He tilted her head so their lips could meet once again. "That was because I wanted to as well."

She laughed, curling up in his hold. She'd always felt safe with him, like she could be herself, and now even more so. "Why are you wearing a jogging suit?" Amaya asked, just noticing the loose, laid back clothing.

"I was racing Hank, trying to get him to release the beast inside of him and enhance his mutation as best as he could."

"So you're all sweaty and now you're cuddling me."

"Exactly," he laughed, rubbing his face against her neck.

"Charles! Gross!" She giggled, wriggling in his grip until he stopped. Though he didn't release her hold on him, as if she even wanted him to? Nah. "So I guess it's my training now?"

"Hm... In a little while. I've been training other all day, darling. I want to just sit here and hold you for now."

"In the sunset, huh? What a romantic."

"Of course."

She could feel a chuckle reverberate from his chest. It really was romantic, though. The sky was painted with a beautiful mix of blue, purple, reds, and oranges. It was one of those rare sunsets that mixed both warm and cool colors rather than just one of the other and it was absolutely breathtaking. She felt like she was in a movie or something, just sitting and relaxing against him. She swore she could have forgotten everything then and there and just lived in the moment, but of course not. They were in the middle of an oncoming war. They could live in the moment afterward.

"Alright, Charlie. Let's get to training."

"I thought I said in a little while? I want to rest."

"But if you think about it this way, the faster we get training done, the faster we can both rest and cuddle up with a good book or something, right?" She winked.

"Thirty minute training, then dinner?"

"Sounds good to me. C'mon."

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**Daw. Cuties. Though complications come up~ Or ****_complication_****. Amaya can't keep her secrets forever, especially with her new relationship with Charles, right? ;) I've got that all planned out. Gonna try to update tomorrow too! Hope to see you then!**


	17. Chapter 17: Charles Finds Out

**Hey guys! I'm so, so, ****_so_**** sorry I haven't updated as often as I usually do. School's wrapping up, yay! But that means last minute shit and finals. Boo. And the weekends are pretty damn packed, so no writing time. Double boo. Anyway, seminar, project, presentation, and SATs, done~ Now on to one last test and then finals. I won't be updating as often for a little while until things calm down. Here's a chapter in the meantime~**

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The next couple of days were going rather well. Training greatly improved not only their friendships, but also their hold on their mutations. The relationship between Hank and Alex wasn't as strained as it was in the beginning. It was more of a love-hate relationship rather than a bully-victim one, which was a relief. Though any advance in the relationship between Hank and Raven seemed to be either miniscule or nonexistent, even after how many times Raven tried to put the moves on him. Amaya watched on in sympathy. They couldn't even tell if Hank was interested or not because the more days passed by, the longer he stayed in the lab. Raven wasn't necessarily lonely though, she hung out with everyone and ended up spending some random times with Erik.

Charles' and Amaya's relationship on the other hand was going better than either could even dream of. Even if they weren't able to spend much time with each other while they were getting ready to face off with Shaw, they were still able to spend their nights together. Sometimes they'd watch TV, other times play a game, maybe read a book together, but most of the time they'd just end up cuddling and talking. She was opening up more and more to Charles, him finding out that she was born in Japan, though she was half Japanese and half Greek, a rather strange combination at the time. Her brothers were mutants as well, yet as far as he knew, her parents were normal humans. He never pushed her if she didn't want to talk about certain things, which she was grateful of, though she knew he'd never push her despite wanting to know.

In response of her telling him about her family, he ended up telling her a bit about his. Nothing too detailed, but he told her about his mother and his stepfather, normal things a couple would talk about. Sometimes they'd talk about their abilities, something they discovered and when and how, but that wasn't always. While they talked, they had some sort of small competition to see who could stay awake the longest. Most of the time, Charles would be the one who dozed off first, considering how hard he has to work each day. On rare occasions, they'd fall asleep around the same time, but night was the most time they'd be able to be with each other for a period of time, save the training and few times they bump into each other for merely a minute or two.

It was evident how their newfound relationship affected both of them. Amaya was more social than usual, her smile and laugh were shown more. Charles as well. Everyone could see how tender both were when interacting or even talking about them. Though Amaya was more solemn that day than the rest. Despite her happiness, Charles could feel the negative emotions eating away in the back of her mind. He could see how her smile was slightly more strained. Whenever he asked, she'd say she was fine, so he stopped asking and just remained near her, comforting her without it being obvious and tried to get her mind off of whatever she was thinking of, but he knew she was still thinking of it.

Amaya was stretched across the couch in the library, reading through one of books from the pile she had gotten earlier. She wanted to distance herself from everyone at the moment, it just wasn't a good day and she didn't want to bring them down. She knew they were concerned since they saw her acting differently, she just hoped they dismissed it as nothing. Then again, since when did they?

Amaya let out a groan as something, or someone, suddenly made themselves comfortable on her stomach. "Charles," she complained.

As expected, he chuckled and got off of her, taking a seat by her head. Amaya sat up and shifted over so she was sitting on his lap, her side to his chest. Charles smiled and brushed some of her hair away from her face. "Another Shakespeare?"

"Salinger, actually. _The Catcher in the Rye_."

He raised an eyebrow. "I never expected you to read that."

"Yeah, neither did I. But I heard people talking about it before. Holden's getting kinda annoying though." She set the book down, leaning comfortably against him. "How long do you have?"

"We're taking a five minute break while Hank does a quick fix on Alex's device. He accidentally broke it."

"What, burnt it out?"

"Yeah." He let out a heavy breath and wrapped his arms around her, resting his face in the crook of her neck with a yawn.

Amaya giggled. "Tired, much, Professor?"

"You know I am. The longer this goes, the tenser things are. Shaw has more time to plan and now all we can do is train and wait him out."

She wrapped her arms around him, softly stroking his head. She weaved her fingers through his soft hair and pressed a kiss on the top. She could feel his lips curl into a smile against the skin of her neck.

"What about you, Amaya, are you alright?" he asked, lifting his head. He stared at her, his blue eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

She sighed and gave him a small smile. "Yes, I'm sure. You honestly worry too much for your own good."

"Maybe, but with everything that's going on, none of us are actually 'fine'."

"I appreciate the concern, Charles, but I really am fine."

She knew he didn't believe her. She knew he knew she wasn't actually fine. But either way, he dropped it, which she was thankful for. Amaya brushed her fingers against his cheek and kissed him. He gently cupped her face, tilting her head to kiss her more fully, but she pulled away, much to his disappointment.

"I think your five minutes are up, Professor," she said, smiling. It was one that was more like her other smiles, the one she always had whenever she was with him.

"We'll have to pick up where we left off tonight, then."

"Tonight." She nodded and shifted off of him so he could stand.

Charles smiled and quickly kissed her nose before making his way out of the library. She followed him out with her eyes, her smile slipping off of her face as soon as he was gone. She curled up on the couch with a sigh. He was an absolute sweetheart, and she hated worrying him like that. As long as the day ended soon, she'd be fine.

.:-:-:.

"Erik...?"

The man glanced up from the book he was reading, finding Raven standing unsurely in front of him. She was troubled, anyone could see that. She did have a tendency to wear her emotions on her face. "Raven."

"I have a question... It's about Amaya."

"If it's why she's acting weird, I don't know. Alex and Sean already asked me. Besides, you should be asking Charles. He's her boyfriend, not me," he replied, going back to his book.

"I know you have an idea as to why she's acting weird. I know you know her past, the whole thing with Shaw... It's about that, isn't it?"

Erik's eyes snapped up to her's. "You know how? I highly doubt Amaya told you herself."

Raven frowned at that statement, she had to admit, that hurt. She knew Amaya wouldn't have told her, not yet. At least, she hoped not yet. "I heard you two when you were first sparring. It's about something that happened, isn't it?"

He sighed and put the book down. "I don't know, not for sure. She hasn't talked to me about it at all, nor am I going to push her to. We all have our pasts we don't want anyone to know."

"I know, but it's always around this time of year. It has to be the anniversary of something, and I'm just... I just worry."

"I understand, but if Shaw did do something to her, I wouldn't know. She was there long before I was, and Shaw has done and forced her to do much. It was different for every mutant..."

"What exactly has Shaw done that you know of?"

The two turned to the door, finding Charles standing there, confused. Raven froze, he wasn't supposed to know. Raven knowing was one thing, she wasn't going to talk to Amaya about it until the black haired girl was ready, but Charles would.

"Nothing, Charles," Erik replied.

"No, not nothing. She told you?"

Erik sighed. He wasn't going to get out of this. "Yes. She told me."

Amaya joined them with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "Told who what?" Remnants of her nap were still in her voice.

"Were you sleeping?" Raven asked.

"More like having a nightmare- daymare- just a bad dream." She shook her head. "Told who what?"

"You told them?"

Amaya glanced at Charles, confused by what he meant at first, but the look of hurt that spread across his face. Her heart clenched both in nervousness and guilt. She paused for a moment, turning to Erik and Raven. "_Them_?"

"Amaya, I'm sorry. I overheard earlier-"

"You _knew_ this whole time?"

Raven nodded. "Yeah..."

"And you two just thought to talk about my personal problems and my vendetta here. In the open. In the middle of a living room." She frowned at them.

"We were trying to figure out why-"

"Did you maybe think, oh I don't know, that there's a _reason_ why you don't know?"

"Don't blame them, Amaya. You were the one who sought to tell them," Charles said.

She took a deep breath. She could hear his pain in his voice. She chose Erik over him, she chose to trust the man they met how many weeks ago over the man she'd grown up with. "Charles, I..." She sighed. What could she say? That Erik understood her better? That she wanted empathy? Amaya turned around, heading out of the room.

"You're going to have to tell him sometime, Amaya," Erik called. "Especially why you hate this day so much, why you absolutely despise your birthday."

Amaya stiffened, turning around in a glare at the man. "How the _fuck_ do you know that?"

"I remember reading it in one of Shaw's files from when we were in his hands," he answered. "I am curious though, and you were going to tell them eventually, so why not now? Why do you regret your birth so much?"

"Erik, don't," she hissed.

"You need to tell them. You can't keep running away from it."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Understand what? Shaw killing my parents? He killed my mother-"

"You. Wouldn't. Understand." Her eyes had shifted, the shadows stirring to life at her anger.

Erik paused for a moment, remembering her words. "You said you couldn't kill Shaw because he wasn't the one who tore apart everything you loved..." Two and two clicked. It made perfect sense as to why she was so afraid of her powers. "It was you..."

Amaya clenched her jaw, casting her eyes downward before closing them shut. "Shut up, Erik."

"You were the one who... Shaw was the reason, what the hell happened, Amaya?"

"Shut up." She grit her teeth, clenching her fists.

"Why? Because I don't understand?" Erik frowned. "You can't keep running away from it forever-"

"_Shut up!_" The shadows erupted, curling around Erik tightly in response to Amaya's anger. "You don't know! I was the one who killed them! I tore my family apart! You don't know what it's like to _feel_ their organs rupture, their bones crack... I felt them through the shadows..." She glared darkly at him. "How the_ hell _can you understand when_ I'm _the one who _destroyed everything?!_"

"I'm not your enemy, Amaya..." He gasped out.

"Then why the everliving fuck do you _seem_ like one to me," she snarled.

Erik could barely reply, his throat feeling crushed, the burning pain in his lungs from the lack of air. He couldn't even struggle, the binding far too tight. Raven could only watch, speechless. She wanted to say something, do something, but she couldn't. Amaya's eyes widened and she quickly dropped the man, stuttering an apology, but what could she say? She looked over to Raven and Charles. She recognized the fear in Raven's eyes. She was the one who caused that fear, and Charles... Charles couldn't even _meet_ her eyes. She bit her lip.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured, barely even audible in the still silence. She spun on her feet and quickly left the room.

"Charles-" Raven began. This was the time he'd usually go after her, but he only stared after the girl in pain. He shook his head and made his way to his study. He wasn't going after her, not this time, but it wasn't like Amaya was counting on it. They both knew she needed time to cool off, and Charles needed time alone.

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**Wow... Tense... Next chapter we find out Amaya's backstory, what happened and how she even killed them and what Shaw has to do with all of this. Of course, Charles/Amaya moments because the poor babies are both hurt right now. ;A; Anyway, thanks for bearing with me for a while guys. See you next time! PEACE!**


	18. Chapter 18: Her Past

**Here's another one for you guys~ Hope you like it! And The Fire Dancers Demon, you made me squeal with your review. I'm so flipping glad. And yes, who ****_is_**** normal? Normal? That a thing? Nah. That actually brings up a curious question though, would anyone be interested if I do a sequel that took place in Days of Future Past? I'd been thinking of it, but I don't know yet in all honesty.**

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Amaya sat in the kitchen, poking a melting bowl of ice cream. She screwed up. She choked Erik, scared Raven, and hurt Charles. She'd never be able to get that look out of her head. It was so much worse than him being disappointed in her, and now he knew what she did so long ago. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but she knew that the longer she kept it hidden, the more inevitable it would be. She sighed, pushing the bowl a bit away from her and resting her head on her arms as Raven walked in.

Raven silently took a seat in front of Amaya.

Amaya looked at her warily.

"Hey," Raven greeted with a smile.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

"I should be asking you that..." Amaya lifted her head. "Sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Scaring you..."

"Amaya-"

"Don't you _dare_ say that I didn't. I know that look I saw in your eyes. That fear, that was the same fear my brothers looked at me with, the same fear the researches stared at me with."

Raven gave her a small smile and reached over to put a hand on her arm. "I was scared, maybe a little bit, but I was honestly more worried than scared, or surprised even. I know why you didn't tell us, and I understand why you told Erik rather than us. Though Charles, I'm sure he understands, but-"

"Yeah, I know. How's Erik?"

"He's fine. He's sorry for pushing you, I'm sure," she snickered.

Amaya cracked a smile and stood up. "Tell him I'm sorry if you see him tonight."

"Will do. Going to Charles?"

She nodded. "Yeah... I know what I have to do."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Rae." Amaya gave her another smile before heading out of the kitchen, padding her way up the stairs and to Charles' room. She'd been thinking, and she knew that she had to do it. She had to show him everything. Rather than shadow traveling into his room as she usually did, she knocked lightly on the door and peeked in. Sure enough, Charles was sitting on the couch, reading one of the documents. He barely even spared her a glance before going back to reading. He wasn't going to say anything. Amaya understood why. It would make it easier if he didn't say anything at the moment anyway.

She walked over and took a seat next to him, turning her body to face him. She felt tense, almost wanting to back out of is. Almost. But this was something she had to do. She took a deep breath and took one of his hands, pressing two of his fingers to her temple. Charles cast her a surprised look. Ever since she entered- No. Even _before_ she entered, he had felt all of her mental walls break down.

"Amaya, are you sure...?"

She nodded. "I trust you Charles, with everything. I trust you _more _than anything. I just... I didn't trust myself. I couldn't... But Erik was right, you need to know. Just... Please, don't hate me. I understand if you don't like me anymore but-"

Charles cut her off, pressing his lips against hers. There was no heat, no passion, but it was sweet and tender. It was the reassurance that they both needed at the moment. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "I could never hate you," he whispered.

The corner of her lips curled upwards before she shut her eyes. Charles followed and shut his own eyes before delving into her mind. The first scene he saw made him smile. There she was, such a small child. She didn't hide her abilities at all, nor did she hide her eyes. They were a shining purple and red, every now and then surrounded by black whenever she used her powers. She was playing with a young boy, presumably her brother. From the language he heard buzzing in the background, it was obvious to tell they were in Japan. She _did_ grow up there. The question still remained, how exactly did she end up so far from home? Nevertheless, Amaya laughed, using the shadows to play with the boy while he shifted into a large dog, trampling her over and licking her face. He could feel her elation, her absolute ecstacy. That was definitely her older brother, alright. So she dealt with a shifter before.

An older woman joined them, one who didn't seem older than Charles. If it weren't for the way her bangs were styled and the color of her eyes, he would've sworn it was Amaya, but Amaya was the kid playing. A man shortly came out, holding a swaddled baby in his arms before taking a seat next to his wife on the porch. It was a picture perfect family. The scene suddenly took a complete turn. The next thing he saw was the door breaking down and a group filing into the house. Several soldiers, surrounding them. The family huddled together, the man frowning as Shaw stepped into the house. This was where it happened. Shaw and Amaya's father talked, Shaw calmly while her father practically snarled at him. Her brother was in his human form now, growling ferociously like he was about to turn into an animal and attack them any second.

Whatever Shaw had said next, it was a command. The soldiers raised their guns to them as a pair went out to take Amaya, but they left her brother. They didn't know he was a mutant as well. Her father handed the baby to her brother before rushing to grab his child back, her mother following, but they were being held back by another few soldiers, threatening to kill them. Their guns were aimed straight at their skulls, and that's when she exploded. She let out a blood curdling scream and the area practically darkened. The shadows burst to life and attacked the soldiers holding her parents, wrapping around them before disappearing, taking the soldiers with it. But she didn't stop there. Her eyes were completely dark, tears streaming down her face as she attacked the others. The soldiers tried to shoot, but the shadows protected her and attacked relentlessly. Despite her wishes to protect her family, she was out of control. Stray shadows were destroying the house and smashing into furniture. What struck him was what she was feeling. Her mind was almost blank, but he could have sworn he felt a hint of happiness, a hint of excitement. She was enjoying this chaos.

A group of shadows were sent hurling towards her brothers who had little to no idea what to do. Next thing he saw, her parents were huddled in front of her brothers, both pierced straight through their bodies. Amaya had frozen and the chaos stopped. The shadows that had pierced her parents dissolved into nothing and their bodies collapsed next to her brothers. Her younger wouldn't stop crying, her older staring at her with wide eyes filled with terror. She crawled over to their bodies, shaking them tentatively. Charles could feel her denial, her guilt, her pain, all of the emotions a young child shouldn't even be feeling. She knew it was her fault. She knew she had done it. He had felt her do it. He had felt what she felt. He _felt_ those shadows puncture their skin, crack their bones, destroy their organs. He had felt the blood drip off of the element that had killed them before it disappeared.

Amaya just sat there, staring at what she had done. She couldn't process it. She couldn't even look at her brothers. She didn't even fight back when Shaw had picked her up and taken her back to their car, but that was where the scene ended. He faintly saw a hint of a birthday cake in the kitchen as they had passed. It was today, fifteen years ago. The next few scenes he saw were just flashes, mere flashes of his experiments, her killing even more people, her huddled in the room she had turned pitch black.

Charles backed out of her mind and wiped away the tears that had ended up spilling down his cheeks. He hadn't even noticed as he was watching her memories. No, he wasn't watching them. He was living them. It was like he _was_ Amaya, but he was watching her as well. He brought his attention to the girl in front of him and to no surprise, she was crying.

She whimpered softly, eyes remaining closed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had lived through that again just to show him. No one should ever had to live through something like that, especially not twice.

Charles gently caressed her face, brushing away a few of her tears with her thumb as she opened her eyes to look at him. They were the same as they were in the memory, red and purple, but also red and puffy. They were filled with even more unshed tears and his heart clenched. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her into his chest, holding her tightly. Her body shook as she cried silently against his chest. She was trembling and gripping onto him so tight, it was as if she believed he would slip through her fingers if she didn't. Charles ran his fingers through her hair soothingly, reaching into her mind again to help calm her down, help relieve her of this pain.

"I'm a murderer," she whimpered, muffled against his body. "I _killed_ them... All of them..."

"Sh... It's okay, Amaya, it wasn't you-"

"No, Charles..." She pulled back, meeting his eyes. His throat closed up at the sight of her like this. He wasn't used to this Amaya. He never thought he'd see this side of her. This vulnerable girl with scars that never healed, wounds of the past that were reopened. "It _was_ me. I felt _happy_, killing those people... I know you felt my happiness..." Her voice cracked and made his heart clench again.

Charles brought her back to him, petting her head once again. "You were a child. You couldn't control it."

"Thirty two people... I killed thirty two people in my time with him." She sniveled, her voice cracking again. "I killed thirty two people, Charles! I can't..." Amaya shook her head. "I don't want you to hate me..."

"Love, Shaw forced you to do it," Charles began. "It wasn't your fault. No matter what you think, it's not your fault. I can never hate you. I never can, and I never want to."

"How? I'm an absolute mess. I killed the very people who created me, gave birth to me, loved me... My own brothers probably hate me. I destroyed my family, killed others and may have destroyed _their_ family. I'm reckless. I never listen. I'm a fucking bitch and I know it. I infuriate _everyone. _I'm an absolute abomination. I'm bad luck. I'll end up being the death of you and Raven and-"

Charles frowned and pushed her back, holding her at arms length. "Don't you _dare_ think that way about yourself, Amaya. _Shaw_ destroyed your family. _He_ was the one who killed others and destroyed their lives. You _are_ reckless, and you don't ever listen indeed, but that's part of your charm. You're no where near bad luck, darling. I was lucky enough to find you."

"Technically Raven found me," she croaked.

He chuckled. "Yes, technically she did. Listen to me, love. We're all a mess in our own ways. We all have our pasts, you know mine, Erik's, and Raven's. It made us who we are, and who you are, is a beautiful young woman I have had the luck of meeting."

Her lips just barely formed a smile at his words.

"I fell in love with the girl who would _never_ listen to what I said, who _never_ followed rules. I fell in love with the girl who always bit back even if the odds were against her. The one who could be fierce one second and then fragile the next..."

"I don't deserve you."

"Amaya, you deserve so much more than me. I'm just lucky enough to have you."

"Charles, there is absolutely no one more than you," she murmured, running a hand through his hair before pulling him down to her, brushing her lips against his for a moment. "I love you."

Charles grinned. That was the first time either of them had said it. He pressed her lips against hers and pulled back. "I love you too."

A light blush flourished across her cheeks, and the faint smile on her face grew as he said those words. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. His hands wandered down to her hips and tugged her closely, lightly running his tongue along her bottom lip much to her surprise. But she didn't turn him away. She eagerly let him in as their kiss deepened. Everything turned out so much better than she ever believed. Despite everything she'd done, her shattered remains of a past, he still loved her. Shaw could throw what he wants at them, no matter what, she knew they'd be okay.

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**Yay~ Now he knows all and they said their first 'I love yous', dawww. Hope you guys enjoyed! Apparently I ****_did_**** sprain my finger from like, three weeks ago? Never healed though, I keep using it. Oops. Oh well. Anyway, I really am curious on what you guys think if I did a sequel. Leave your opinion in the review! Don't be afraid to say you think it's better without one, it's okay!**


	19. Chapter 19: Get Some Sleep

**Been a little while, hasn't it? And from that overwhelming response, looks like I'll be doing a sequel~ Woot. Surprisingly enough, I've already started planning quite a bit of it. XD I actually written out the plot ahead of time whereas for this one, I've just had it all in my head and winged it. Worked out well enough. Hope you guys enjoy this one!**

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Amaya sat outside with Raven, braiding the girl's hair. It seemed like they were having success with everyone's mutations. Earlier today, Alex had successfully hit his target without hitting Charles or Hank, much to his excitement. He'd been in a good mood ever since. Charles, Hank, and Erik took Sean up onto the top of satellite in the field. Amaya and Raven had snickered and joked, wishing Sean good luck as they passed by. Whether he believed he could do it or not, he was going up there. They wondered how long it even took for them to get to the top.

Amaya squinted against the sun, trying to look at the satellite. "See anything, Rae?"

She shook her head. "I can see myself being blinded. Other than that, not really. I think they're at the top, though."

"I see absolutely nothing." She fell back on the grass and sighed, shutting her eyes.

"So... How'd things go last night?" Raven asked, falling back next to her.

Amaya couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips, not going unnoticed by the blonde.

"Okay, you have to spill now," she said, sitting up.

Amaya laughed and opened her eyes, turning to her. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"Uh huh, nothing. You were all gloomy and suddenly you're all happy after a night with Charles? Hold up, don't tell me, did you...?"

Her cheeks instantly flooded with color and she sat up so quickly she got head rush. "No!" Her voice squeaked in protest. "N-No. We didn't!"

"What a reaction," Raven laughed. "So what happened?"

"Well... I showed him everything that happened..."

"And...?"

"And I cried, and I think he cried."

"And...?"

"And we said 'I love you'... And then kind of made out... And then cuddled all night..."

Raven grinned and hugged her. "Aw- Except for the making out part. I rather not think of that. But your first 'I love you's' and cuddling. I _told_ you everything would be okay."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, blushing.

"So, any pillow talk? Necking? Is that a hickey I see?"

Amaya's eyes widened and she quickly swatted at Raven, shifting her shirt and covering the area with her hair, making the girl laugh.

"This is even more perfect. Seems like you two got pretty intense with your making out."

"Sh," she said, clamping her hand over Raven's mouth. "We don't talk about it. It's embarrassing."

"It's cute," she replied, though muffled by the hand.

Amaya opened her mouth to reply, but their attention was quickly drawn to the satellite. They could see a small figure falling and screaming. Obviously that was Sean. It seemed like he as flailing as he fell, seemingly to his death. Seemingly. With one strong scream, he was lifted back into the air. Raven grinned as they watched Sean soar through the air, releasing screams every now and then to stay flying.

"It works," Raven said.

"Does he know how to land or is he just going to fall out of the sky?" Amaya asked.

"Only you would think of that in a time like this."

"But it's a good question, undoubtedly."

She sighed and shook her head, but continued to watch. She could see the three still on the satellite move to head back. At least, that's what she thought she saw. Sean remained in the air, ripping through the skies and experimenting with different flight patterns. It must be fun to fly like that.

"So Rae," Amaya began, jolting the girl out of her thoughts. "How's it going between you and Hank?"

Raven groaned internally. There had been little to no progress with him. She was starting to doubt that he even liked her in that way. "I don't even know. I'm the one making all of the advances and he barely responds. I mean, sometimes he blushes and stutters, but it's not like he flirts back."

"Well, to be fair, it's Hank."

"And it feels like it's going nowhere."

She gave her a sympathetic smile. Raven was trying, and whether Hank _did_ feel the same way or if he was just intrigued by her and her mutation, it was hard to tell. He rarely ever took a step out of the lab anymore. "Maybe he's just not for you."

"Maybe..." Raven groaned and brought her legs up to her chest, hugging them.

"On another note, it seems like we'll actually have time to relax more with everyone. I mean, we're getting a hold on our mutations. Hell, just look at Banshee." Amaya kept her eyes on the flying boy as he happily cried out while soaring to the mansion. "First time he just fell into the bushes."

"It was a good laugh," Raven agreed, smiling. "Looking good, Sean!"

He let out a whoop and circled back around above the field.

"You know, I think you're right. Maybe he doesn't know how to land without falling on his face," Raven laughed.

Amaya snickered. "Every other landing he's had included falling on his face. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how to land."

"I heard that!" Sean protested as he flew above them.

"You were meant to!"

Sean snorted and flew off as Charles, Erik, and Hank were seen walking across the field. Raven and Amaya both stood up to greet them, Raven giving Hank a smile. He returned it with a small curl in the corner of his lips.

"Seems like Sean finally got the hang of flying," Raven commented. "He _does_ know how to land, right?"

"We'll find out when he gets tired," Erik replied, looking up before glancing over to Amaya.

She gave him a small smile. "Ay."

He gave her a curt nod. "Hello."

"Listen, sorry for kicking your ass yesterday... To be fair, it was a sensitive topic on a sensitive day."

"It's alright, I was pushing you. And to be fair, I let you kick my ass."

Amaya quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Erik smirked. "I was not using my powers. You owe me another spar."

"Fine. I'll be glad to kick your ass again." She countered with her own smirk, making Erik laugh.

"We'll see who'll be kicking whose ass."

Amaya smiled, glad to have made up with Erik. It seemed very casual, but that was just how their relationship was. "Yes we will. Hi Charlie," she murmured, going to Charles' side.

"Love, good to see you're awake." He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"You got up too early, besides, it's not like we slept early last night."

Erik's smirk widened and he brushed some of Amaya's hair, pulling on her shirt collar a bit. "Seems like you two had a fun night. I take it you have your own marks under your clothes, Charles?"

Amaya swatted at him, blushing. "Excuse you!"

"She does have a preference for biting," Charles teased.

She rounded on him, gaping. "_Charles_!"

He merely grinned back innocently before leaning down and nipping at her ear. "I never said I didn't like it."

She shoved him lightly, face burning hot. "You're a jack ass."

"Maybe, but I'm _your_ jack ass," he murmured.

"I swear, I've _never_ seen _anyone's_ face that red, let alone Amaya's," Raven laughed.

"Keep going, Charles. I'm curious as to how much redder she can turn." Erik grinned.

"I hate you all," she grumbled, pouting.

Before anyone could say anything else, Sean fell out of the sky with a resounding thump. The poor boy groaned, rolling over to stand up. He really didn't know how to land then, did he? "Note to self," he began. "Learn how to land without falling on my face or my back."

Charles chuckled. "Come on, Erik. It's your turn."

"Yeah, Erik. Your turn. Are you gonna be falling on your ass too?" Amaya taunted.

Erik ruffled her hair as he passed. "Taunt all you want, little demon. You're still the one blushing."

She scoffed at him and stuck her tongue out. "Ass hat."

"I'll see you in a bit, darling," Charles said, pecking her lips.

"M'kay. Have fun." She smiled at him before linking arms with Raven. "C'mon, Banshee-boy. We should get ice for your... Everything."

.:-:-:.

Alex, Sean, and Amaya were playing poker while Raven went with Hank to the lab. Moira was still doing her CIA duties. They invited her to play with them or do something else like play billiards or help them make cookies or something, but she only shook her head and declined saying she had to work. She'd been working since they arrived, did she _ever_ take a break? That was pretty admirable. She'd been keeping a close eye on the clock. Amaya couldn't help but wonder what it was she was waiting for. Her curiosity was soon satiated, seeing as how Moira quickly gathered everyone into the living room before calling out for Charles and Erik.

They reluctantly ended their game and settled around the TV. Sean pouted, he was so close to winning too, but from what Moira had told Charles and Erik, they knew this was important. The president was about to make his address. Once Charles and Erik joined them, Moira flipped the TV on. President Kennedy appeared on TV.

"_It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile crossing the embargo line that surrounds Cuba as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union..."_

"That's where we're going to find Shaw," Erik said.

Alex glanced at him. "How do you know?"

"It's not difficult to figure out," Amaya commented. "Why wouldn't he be there?"

"Two superpowers facing off and he wants to start World War III." Charles shook his head. "He won't leave anything to chance."

"So much for diplomacy. I suggest you all get a good night's sleep." Erik placed the revolver he held on the table, leaving the room.

The others glanced at each other unsurely. The end game was coming sooner than they had thought, or at least hoped. It was time to see whether this training actually paid off or not.

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**The story's coming to a close~ I'm estimating maybe another... 3-4 chapters? But of course, there ****_is _****the sequel too. XD Any ideas on what might happen there? I'm curious to see if any of you guys are thinkin what I'm thinking.**


	20. Chapter 20: Don't Have Too Much Fun

**Hello friends! Summer has officially started! But it's still pretty busy with so many trips and I even got commissioned (my first ones, woot). So much for relaxing. Worry not, this story ****_will_**** be updated and finished! And the sequel shall be out before summer ends, I have no idea when, but it will be! **

**And to Anon (I'd reply in a private message if I could, but you don't have an account, so...) Don't get me wrong, I absolutely ****_love_**** Erik. He's awesome and I totally agree that he's a very important character. But it's more of an Amaya-centric sort of story, mostly told from her point of view in a way? They don't really get much time together, so not as much Erik. And I ****_was_**** thinking about a love triangle between the three, but I just didn't see it happening. Only answering this now because you've been constantly asking for more Erik and I wanted to clear some things up. I have more planned for their relationship in the sequel though, so don't worry! **

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

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Raven had already retreated to her room for the night. Charles, Erik, and Moira left to talk about their next move. Hank of course returned to the lab, where else would he be? Alex and Sean went back to one of the game rooms, Amaya tagging along. After a round of billiards though, she went to Charles' room. She didn't expect him to be there, at least not yet. It wasn't that late yet, only nine. She walked over to his drawers and changed into one of his t-shirts and a pair of his shorts before curling up on the couch with a book. She'd ended up always sleeping in his room ever since they got together. She only went to her room to change or take a shower. She couldn't help but snicker at that. Usually it takes a while for a couple to move in together whereas they'd _been_ living together.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and set her chin on top, eyes scanning the words in front of her. _The Tragedy of Julius Caesar_. She'd always thought that Caesar was a bit of a dick, but the play was a good read. She was pretty nervous inside, and the mix of Charles' clothes and Shakespeare calmed her down pretty well. She loved wearing his clothes to bed, and she was pretty sure he did to. She saw the way his lips would twitch, threatening to form a smile.

They were leaving tomorrow. That was when everything was going to happen. That was when anything _could_ happen. She shivered, thinking of what could go wrong. A bad feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. She recognized the feeling, it was the same as the time when Charles, Erik, and Moira went to the Soviet and the attack happened. She really hoped it was just her worrying and it didn't mean anything.

She was so deep in thought, she didn't even notice Charles walk in, let alone notice him sneak behind her.

"_There is a tide in the affairs of men_, w_hich, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their life_ i_s bound in shallows and in miseries,_" he whispered in her ear.

Amaya jumped, spinning around to face him with surprise written all over her face.

"Did I surprise you?" He chuckled, going around the couch and taking a seat next to her. He slung his arm over the back of the couch, allowing her to lean against him and rest her head on his shoulder. "You seemed rather preoccupied."

"I was just... Thinking."

"About?"

"What might happen tomorrow."

Charles glanced down at her. "You're worried."

"Of course I am. Everyone is. And I have that same bad feeling from when Shaw attacked before..." She sighed. "I'm just being paranoid."

"You said that last time, but it seemed like you had good reason to be."

"Yeah, but it's just. You know. Feels like the end and everything, and I just..." She whined, curling up against his side.

Charles chuckled and pet her head. "I promise you, Amaya. We will be fine, I'll make sure of it."

"Hn..." She let out another sigh and looked up at him. She couldn't help but smile back, seeing him smile softly down at her. She stared, running a hand through his hair.

He leaned into her touch, shutting his eyes in relaxation. She giggled and continued to stroke his head, weaving her fingers through his thick hair. "What?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"I never noticed how many freckles you have."

Charles opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I never noticed how many freckles you have," she repeated. "They're scattered all over your nose and cheeks. They're faint, but they're there. They're adorable."

"Of course they are."

"They are!"

He laughed and lightly kissed the tip of her nose. "As are you."

"That was cheesy, and you know it."

"Maybe, but it was still enough to get you to blush."

"I blame your accent."

He shook his head amusedly and kissed the top of her head. Amaya folded her legs under her and knelt next to him, looking at his freckles and mentally counting them. Knowing what she was doing, Charles turned away just to mess her up, chuckling when he heard her swearing in her head. He smiled, hearing her start to count once again in her mind. When he moved again, she mentally cursed and threatened him. With a huff, she crawled on his lap and straddled him, forcing his face straight to count.

"Can't get away now, Charlie."

A smirk twitched on his lips and his hands slid down to her waist. "Who ever said I wanted to get away, love?"

She smiled. "You have no idea how much I love it when you call me love, or darling, or dear... Any pet names really," she admitted, snickering.

"And you, my dear, have no idea how much I love seeing you in my clothes." He was murmuring lowly, leaning closer.

This time it was her turn to smirk. "I know _exactly_ how much you love seeing me in your clothes."

"Coy little minx." Their lips barely brushed against each other as they spoke.

She chuckled. "But you love it."

"Indeed I do." He brought one of his hands up to cup the back of her head and crashed his lips against hers. Her arms snaked around his neck and she instantly kissed back with the same amount of passion. She deepened the kiss quickly, sneaking her tongue in his mouth. Charles merely smirked and lightly squeezed her sides, making her giggle and squirm.

"No tickling, Charles," Amaya scolded, pulling back just a bit.

He peppered her jaw with kisses, trailing down her neck. "That's no fun, love."

She weaved her fingers through his hair and gripped it tightly as her eyes fluttered close when she felt his warm lips on her skin. "You seem to be having fun."

Another chuckle vibrated through his throat and he responded with grazing her skin with his teeth.

"Kinky."

"Because you have so many kinks, don't you?"

"And we have a lifetime to try them all out, dearest." She let out a small moan. "You know what would make this even better?"

"Hn?"

"Wine."

Charles laughed and pulled back, pecking her lips. "How romantic of you."

"Might as well have some fun tonight. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

He smiled and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, gently caressing her face. "We'll stop Shaw and come home with everyone."

"Happily ever after?"

"Happily ever after." He nodded as she slid off of his lap. "I'll be back, darling."

"Get good wine."

"Of course." He smiled and gave her a wink before heading out of the room.

Amaya walked over to the mirror and checked her neck, shaking her head amusedly at the new mark Charles put on her. She brushed through her hair a few times before beginning to braid her hair. She glanced around on his dresser, but she didn't leave any hair ties there prior to. With a sigh, she held onto the end of her braid and went to her room to grab one. Before she could even get to her room, Erik stepped out of his and smirked at her as soon as he saw one of Charles' marks.

"I see you two were having some quality time. Please tell me you're at least wearing pants."

Amaya felt her cheeks heat up and glanced down. The shirt was large enough to cover her shorts. "Of course I am! I'm wearing shorts, smart ass. I'm not the only one who had fun tonight," she commented, glancing at his tousled hair. "Nice sex hair."

"I can only imagine how messed up Charles' hair will be after _your_ night."

Amaya laughed. "I rather not have you imagine that, thank you. So who was it with? Moira?"

"Of course not." Erik scrunched his nose slightly.

Her eyes widened. "Raven? I thought she liked Hank...?"

He frowned. "It seems he only thought her beautiful in her disguised form. Someone like her, someone like us, we shouldn't need to hide who we are. She's beautiful in her true form. She shouldn't be led to believe she isn't."

"Raven's amazing." Amaya sighed. "Damn it, Hank."

Erik nodded in agreement. "She truly is."

"I'm going to head back. See you tomorrow, _Magneto_."

"Don't stay up all night 'having fun' with Charles, _Demon_."

She smiled at the name and walked back to Charles' room. She took a seat on the bed and fell back in her thoughts while waiting for Charles to return. What a strange twist of events, so much for Hank and Raven, then. She never saw _that_ coming, but then again, it wasn't like she was hanging out with Erik and Raven _all_ the time. Who knew what happened between them? Erik was a good man, though. If they wanted to take it further than just a hot night, then she was fine with it.

Charles came back into the room with a bottle of wine and two glasses, running his hand through his hair exasperatedly.

Amaya sat up and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Just... Raven. She's acting up tonight, walking around naked in her natural form," he said, pouring the liquid into the glasses.

"What's so bad about that? It's who she is."

"She shouldn't be walking around _naked_." Charles walked over to the bed and took a seat, handing her a glass. "I honestly don't know what's gotten into her."

Amaya gave him a small smile and scooted closer to him. "She finally has enough confidence to walk around as who she is. All this time, she's walked around disguised as a human, never in her true form. I mean, you and I can't help it. These _are_ our true forms. We blend in much easier, but her..."

"I know she has it harder, always having to hide..."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is, this isn't how I raised her to be."

Amaya stared at him. "Charles, you didn't raise her. You grew up with her." When he didn't reply, she continued. "I know it might be hard, but maybe this is who Raven is. This is who she needs to be. She's been so self conscious of herself, of her looks, of no one accepting who she really is and what she really looks like-"

"We accept who she is and what she looks like."

"The fact that you're so fervent about her putting on clothes kind of shows that you don't." Amaya rose to her knees and set the glass aside, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind. "I know you didn't mean it that way, but it comes off that way to her. We just need to accept and support her decision."

He chuckled. "Isn't it usually me who gives these sort of talks?"

"Looks like you're rubbing off on me, Charlie." She snickered.

Charles smiled and leaned back against her. "So it seems."

"Come on then, we've got a full bottle of wine we need to drink, and a night to get started."

Charles laughed as she held her glass out in cheers before taking a sip of the wine. The air had changed so quickly, but it wasn't like it was uncomfortable. He needed that talk, or should he say lecture? He smiled, drinking from his own glass. Raven wasn't the only one who surprised him tonight.

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**Next is when the end begins~ Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review! I'm lovin these predictions for upcoming chappies and the sequel you guys have.**


	21. Chapter 21: Taking Flight

**Another update for you guys~ Hey, hey~ Just a shoutout for all you followers, favoriters, and reviewers. I ****_never_**** expected this story to get the reaction it got. So really, thanks guys. ^-^**

**And to Anon again, thank youuuu! I was ****_really_**** hoping not to come off as rude in my previous reply. I felt like I was, idk. And don't worry about the super long review, it's enjoyable to read~ On another note, you guys are just on point, aren't you? You guests, and anons, and people with accounts. Your predictions may or may not be correct~ But it's certainly close.**

**Oh, and question. Anyone know how long DOFP is set after First Class? Is it 10 years? I feel like it's 10 years. Idk why. Anyone got a final answer?**

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The next morning, the group got dressed and gathered at breakfast, aware of the strange absence of Hank. Even if he always stayed cooped up in that lab, he always ate together with everyone. Amaya glanced over to Raven to see if she knew anything, but she was just as confused. Did it have anything to do with what happened last night between them? Unlike before, the girl was now in her natural blue form. Of course, the others were surprised at first, but it wasn't like they truly minded. That made Amaya smile. Nevertheless, they still continued on and had a quick breakfast. Time was of the essence and they had to get moving as soon as possible. As soon as everyone was done, they had all gone up to the lab to see what was wrong with Hank.

Charles paused outside the door, taking the note off of the wood.

_Gone to the airbase, bring the crate marked X._

_Hank_

He hesitantly opened the door, completely taken back by what was behind it. Charles carefully made his way through as everyone took in the scene. The room was a complete wreck, everything was broken, tables overturned. The furniture was in pieces and the equipment shattered. Papers were everywhere. It was as if some rampaging beast tore through the place. Was Hank okay?

"What the hell happened here?" Erik asked, glancing around.

Raven visibly stiffened. Something had obviously gone wrong, and she had a feeling she knew what. Amaya took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She didn't know what was wrong, but she knew that Raven needed the support at the moment.

Charles merely glanced back at them and shrugged before continuing to the crate on the other side of the room with a duct taped 'X' on it.

"What happened?" Amaya whispered to Raven as they made their way over.

"Hank... He made this... This serum," she replied quietly. "Something went wrong..."

Amaya glanced over to the pile of indistinguishable objects that used to be lab equipment. "Very wrong."

They gathered at the now opened crate and peered inside, surprised at the contents. Erik smirked to himself. "Hank _has_ been busy."

"Just look at them..." Amaya reached in, taking one of the yellow and blue suits and felt the fabric before looking at the slip of paper pinned onto it. "There's one for each of us."

"Do we really have to wear these?" Alex asked.

"As none of us mutated to endure extreme g-force or being riddled by bullets, I suggest we suit up," Charles replied.

Amaya put the suit back in the crate and smirked at Alex. "Don't worry, Havok. I bet you'll look absolutely _dashing_ in it."

"Oh shut up." He rolled his eyes and got ready to help the other men carry it.

"Wait, wait! I want to try something," Amaya quickly cut in.

Charles raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to try?"

"This." She placed a hand on the smooth top of the object and focused. Her eyes darkened and the shadows around the crate curled around it until it completely swallowed it and disappeared. She grinned at its success.

Erik blinked. "What did you just do?"

"I shadow traveled it to the truck. It should be there... Or in the tree next to it. Either or."

Sean whistled. "Can you do that with people too?"

She scratched the back of her head. "And get them there alive and in one piece? Not really... The shadows would tear at their mind and render them in need of help. Objects they couldn't care less."

Raven laughed. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"About a day, in all honesty. Still working out the kinks."

"Still full of surprises, love." Charles slipped her hand in his. "Let's not keep Hank waiting."

They continued on outside, the mood slightly lighter than it was before, but the seriousness remained. Now they were worried about Hank too. What had happened there wasn't something to just ignore. Sure enough, when they got to the truck, the crate was already there in the back, off to one of the walls and out of the way. Amaya grinned even wider and got in at the fact that it was a success. Charles chuckled and got into the front with Erik and Moira, taking the driver's seat while the rest got in the back with Amaya.

The hanger wasn't too far from the mansion, so it didn't take long to get there. As soon as they did, they took their respective suits and went to change. Amaya, Raven, and Moira changed in the truck while the guys changed elsewhere.

"You know what I wonder? How Hank even got our measurements. I mean, these fit. Well," Amaya commented, fixing the fabric around her arms.

Moira nodded in agreement. "Though, Raven. You can transform into anyone. Did you help him?"

Raven transformed into Amaya in response, copying the girl's movement. "Mhm, but I wasn't really sure what kind of suits he was making," she said in Amaya's voice.

The girl grinned. "That's the first I've ever seen me before. That's fuckin awesome. Hey, hey, do this." She blinked and her eyes were surrounded by black.

Raven's eyes flashed yellow for a moment before copying her.

"Oh sweetie, why have we never had some fun with this? I wanna try something..."

.:-:-:.

The guys waited outside of the truck impatiently. Of course, they'd gotten dressed fairly quickly. There were only three girls after all, what was taking them all so long? It wasn't like they had to get their hair and make up ready or something. They were going to stop Shaw, not a ball. Finally, one of them hopped out of the truck.

"Finally, Amaya," Alex sighed. "What takes so long?"

She snickered. "Shut it. Lookin' sexy there, Havok."

He rolled his eyes. "Where's Raven and Moira? Come on."

"Someone's getting antsy," she commented, moving to Charles' side. She smiled and wrapped an arm around him. "Hey."

"Raven, where's Amaya?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I think I would know my girlfriend, Raven."

She sighed and stepped back, transforming into her normal blue form. "Jig's up, Amaya. We didn't even last a minute!"

"Seriously?" The real Amaya hopped out with Moira trailing behind. "I thought we would've at least made it to the jet."

"What made you think you'd be able to fool me, love?" Charles chuckled, pulling Amaya to him.

She grinned back. "Because we've never done that whole twin switch thing and we just remembered to do it now. How'd you know it was Rae and not me?"

"She missed that tattoo on your neck," he said as if it were obvious. "It's a birthmark, isn't it?"

Amaya smiled. She never expected him to notice that, she made sure to hide it often anyway, whether under make up or hidden with her hair. "Strange birthmark, but it's not uncommon for mutants to have."

Charles smiled back for a moment before turning to the rest of them and nodding. They walked over to where a large, black aircraft was, an exact copy of the one they saw in the CIA facility, only it was life size. They lined up next to it and waited, glancing around for any sign of Hank if anything. Nothing. No Hank. Not even anything that indicated he was even ever there. He said he had gone to the air base, so where was he?

"Where's Hank?" Raven asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Before anyone could reply, a large figure came into view. "I'm here," it said, the voice familiar. The figure was far too large to be Hank, yet... It was. The voice was unmistakeable, but the silhouette looked nothing like him. The closer he got, the more their eyes widened. Not only was he large, but he was blue and his skin was covered in fur. Yet he still donned his glasses. "It didn't attack the cells. It enhanced them. It didn't work."

"Yes, it did, Hank. Don't you see?" Raven gave him a small smile. "This is who you were meant to be. This is you. No more hiding."

"You never looked better, man." Erik lightly hit his arm. Almost instantly, Hank's arm shot out and he gripped Erik's throat tightly with a threatening roar.

"Hank-" Charles warned.

He merely growled at Erik. "Don't mock me!"

"Hank, put him down immediately," he said as Erik wheezed to get air into his lungs. "Hank- Hank!"

Finally, he released him and Erik fell to the ground, gripping his throat. "I wasn't," he breathed, giving him a look.

"Even I got to admit you look pretty badass," Alex said. "I think I got a new name for you. Beast."

"Rockin' that blue, Hank," Amaya commented with a grin.

Sean looked up at the plane in front of them warily. "You're sure you can fly this thing?"

"Of course I can. I designed it."

Alex looked at him, impressed, and whistled. "Damn, Hank. You made these suits, you made the plane... Not such a bozo anymore, Beast."

"Let's get on the plane, it's already begun," Hank replied, heading towards the open entrance.

The inside of the plane was as impressive, if not twice as impressive as the outside. There were enough seats for everyone and it was so advanced for the time. Hank had installed several gadgets, most of which they didn't even know, but he had no problem using it at all. Hank took his seat as pilot, starting up the engine. Everyone else sat along the walls of the plane where their seats were lined.

"Why is it always me who gets choked?" Erik grumbled, taking a seat next to Raven.

"Maybe it's because you're infuriating," Amaya laughed.

Erik shot her a look which only made her laugh even more. "Amazing. Even in the face of impending danger, you seem not to care. Everyone else is at least nervous or freaking out."

"Oh sweetie, I care. I'm freaking out inside. The fact that I'm so calm just proves it."

"Everyone seated and ready?" Hank called from the cockpit.

Charles took a quick glance around and seeing that everyone was buckled in, nodded. "Ready."

The plane began take off, Moira began to flip different switches and push certain buttons, working with communications. Amaya rested her hand on top of Charles', taking a deep breath. She never liked flying, which is why she always made sure she was knocked out if and when they ever had to take a plane before. Of course, she'd had no luck recently with that, not only with the plane they took to meet the CIA, but also this one. She was sure she couldn't and wouldn't be able to sleep for this ride. Unfortunately. Feeling her apprehension, Charles turned his hand to meet hers and interlocked their fingers, giving her hand a squeeze. She glanced at him with a small smile which he returned.

"We'll be okay."

"I just hope so." The uneasy feeling she felt the night before had only grown stronger since then. She didn't say anything, not wanting to worry them. She took another shaky breath and rested her head against Charles' shoulder, shutting her eyes. She shouldn't focus about that now. She focused on calming herself down, despite the impending storm she knew they were flying into.

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**Who's excited for that beach scene, guys? I know I am, even though I know what's going to happen and how things are gonna play out. Shhh. **


	22. Chapter 22: The Crash

**We're gettin there, guys, we're gettin there. Don't you worry. And thanks for the response to my question, Pluv143000 and kmacc. I rewatched DOFP and yeah, it is 11 years after. So great! A lot can happen in 11 years. Hehehe... Anywho! Let's continue, shall we?**

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"Looks pretty messy out there," Hank murmured as he surveyed the waters.

By the time they got there, it seemed almost too late. The ship was merely a few feet away from the line and the Americans were getting ready to attack. Everyone shifted uneasily. If it crossed and the fire started, all of this would have been for nothing. World War III would have begun and Shaw would have won. There was no way in hell that was how this was going down. Charles pressed two fingers to his temple and shut his eyes in concentration.

"The crew of the Aral Sea are all dead," he spoke. "Shaw's been there."

"He's still here," Erik said. "Somewhere."

"He set the ship on course for the embargo line."

"If that ship crosses the line, our boys are going to blow it up," Moira commented. "And the war begins."

"Unless they're not our boys." He concentrated once more and shut his eyes.

Hank glanced down out of the window upon the sounds of rapid beeping, a warning signal. He let out a roar and quickly turned the plane as a missile almost hit them. Amaya could barely register Raven's shrieking and squeezed Charles' hand tightly. She had a feeling she was going to be sick.

"Hold on!" Charles called. As if that wasn't what everyone was doing already. It was like being on a roller coaster, only worse. Much worse.

Hank quickly righted the plane and glanced back at him. "A little warning next time, Professor?"

"Sorry about that." He looked to everyone. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Sean breathed.

"God damn it, Charlie," Amaya mumbled, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Apologies, dear. But I still can't locate Shaw."

Erik frowned. "He's down there. We need to find him now."

Charles turned to the pilot. "Hank?"

"Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?" He asked.

Moira shook her head. "No. Nothing."

"Well, then he must be underwater, and obviously, we don't have sonar."

Sean smirked. "Yes, ve do," he intervened.

Erik and Charles looked to each other before taking off their headsets and unbuckling their straps. "Yes, we do."

They heard Hank chuckle in amusement. Raven locked eyes with Amaya in a silent question. Was she okay? The mix between flying and Shaw, she knew it wasn't good. Amaya gave her a wary smile. She could hold on for a while longer. Soon it would all be over and they'd have their happily ever after... Right?

"Hank, level the bloody plane!" Charles shouted as he, Sean, and Erik hobbled down the plane, swinging on the handles at the top while the plane was still tilted. Hank eased the plane to be leveled, letting them easily make their way to the hatch.

Sean glanced over to Erik and pointed at him accusingly. "Whoa! You back right off."

He chuckled and took a few steps back, holding his hand up in defense.

Sean nodded. He did _not _want to be pushed out of a moving plane like he was on the satellite. "Beast, open the bomb bay doors!"

The doors slowly opened, allowing a rush of wind to flow through. "Remember! This is a muscle!" Charles shouted over the noise. "You control it! You'll be in here the entire time!" He pressed his fingers to his temple. "We'll see you soon! On my mark! Three! Two! One! Go!"

Sean let out a whoop before hopping through the open hatch. They could hear him let out a supersonic scream to glide over the water.

As soon as he was gone, Moira took to the radio. "Alert the fleet, they may want to take their cans off."

It hadn't even been a minute when Charles looked up. "Banshee has got a location on Shaw. Are you ready for this?" He asked Erik.

The man rolled his shoulders and got read. "Let's find out."

"Good luck, metal brain," Amaya called.

He shot her a smirk as Hank brought the plane to a hover over the water. When the landing gear began to descend, Erik hopped onto one of the wheels and searched the waters for any metal, for Shaw's ship. He paused for a moment when he felt the familiar weight of the sub. He took a breath and focused hard to bring the metal to the surface, but it was like what happened in Florida all over again. He was straining to control the metal. Hadn't he gotten better? What was all of that training for if he couldn't do this?

Charles glanced at him and frowned, seeing his hand begin to shake. _Remember, the point between rage and serenity._

Erik relaxed himself and remembered what Charles had said before along with the memory and the feeling he had when he turned the satellite. Surely enough, he felt the submarine rise in his control and break out of the water. He would have grinned if he wasn't so focused on the task at hand. That is, until a man stepped out of the sub and sent a hurricane towards them. Erik's eyes widened, but he couldn't relinquish the hold he had on the sub.

"Erik, take my hand!" Charles shouted.

Hank glanced out the window and groaned. "Hold on, guys. It's gonna get bumpy," he warned as the hurricane hit the plane and spun them out of control. Everyone gripped tightly to their straps and braced themselves for the inevitable crash coming up.

Erik struggled to keep control of the sub, having to split his focus between holding on and lifting the craft. He couldn't take it anymore. He dropped the sub and gripped onto the landing gear for dear life.

"Erik, take my hand!"

He jumped from the gear to where Charles knelt, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling himself up just in time as the plane's engines were torn off. Erik reacted quickly and used his powers to lock Charles between himself and the plane floor when they began to tumble. The plane split in half and rolled across the sand with a crash. Once they seemed to have ceased moving, Erik slowly released his hold and lowered to the ground, Charles along with him.

"Son of a bitch," Amaya breathed, tearing at the straps that confined her to the seat off. Charles ran over to her and helped her get herself untangled as Erik got Raven out. She winced, falling on her back. "Damn upside down fucking crashing," she grumbled, standing up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, quickly surveying her for any injuries.

"I'm fine. Never going in the air again, but fine."

He gave her a small smile and nodded before heading to the gaping opening of the wreckage. "I read the teleporter's mind. Shaw is drawing all the power out of his sub. He's turning himself into some kind of nuclear bomb."

"We got no time. The Geiger count is going out of control," Moira said.

"Moira, this is what we're gonna do. Get on the radio and tell them to clear both fleets out immediately."

"I'm going in," Erik said, watching as Angel, Azazel, and Riptide lined up along the sub, ready to defend.

"Beast, Havok, back him up. Erik, I can guide you through once you're in, but I need you to shut down whatever it is that's blocking me, then we just hope to God it's not too late for me to stop him."

"Got it." He nodded and he and the boys tore out of the fallen plane to do what they needed to.

"Good luck!"

Amaya nudged Raven and glanced to the sub. They had to help to. The blue woman nodded and started to leave with her.

"Raven, Amaya, stop!"

"We're going to help them!" Raven protested.

"We don't have time for this. If anything comes in that entrance, you're taking care of it, yes?"

She frowned and remained by the entrance. "Fine."

"Amaya."

The girl glanced over to Charles before looking to where the fight had already began. He couldn't just expect her to sit and let everyone else do the work, did he? She had to help, if not help Erik, then help them fight the others.

_Don't. Erik can handle this._

She let out a growl and remained next to Raven, watching Angel fly off and Beast and Havok disappear with Azazel. Erik tore off a side of the sub and knocked over Riptide to get in. Amaya snorted and started drawing absentmindedly in the sand. This was what they were supposed to do? While everyone else was fighting, they just sat here and waited? That was total and utter bullshit. Raven was most definitely not happy about it either. Charles knew they could help, whether he just wanted to keep them safe and out of harms way or not, they still felt useless.

Raven's eyes snapped up when she heard Riptide get up. He shot them a glare before turning to head in after Erik. "Amaya."

Amaya followed her line of sight and frowned. "Come on." She stood.

"We can't, you know that."

She glanced over to Charles, but he was preoccupied with talking Erik through. "Since when have I ever followed the rules?" Before Raven could respond, she had already shadow traveled and gone into battle with Riptide, appearing in the submarine and kicking him back out onto the beach.

"Damn it, Amaya!" Charles shouted when she fell into his line of sight.

Raven paused for a moment before running out to help her, unable to get too far as Beast and Azazel returned. She watched, waiting for a moment to go in and help, but Azazel had already pinned him down. His tail was threateningly closing in on Beast's eye. Thinking quickly, Raven transformed into Shaw and called out his name.

Azazel instantly stood up, ready to take another order. But before he could figure anything out, Beast got back up and attacked him. He disappeared behind him, but Beast already saw it coming. He slammed his fist against the man's chest and knocked him out.

Raven smiled and transformed back into herself before running off to help Amaya again. She was holding her own against the whirlwinds and hurricanes Riptide sent at her, dodging and dissipating them with her shadows but barely able to land a hit on the man. He was keeping her too busy to. Raven and Amaya met gazes and an understanding passed through them. Amaya continued to keep Riptide busy and kept his attention on her while Raven searched for an opening. As soon as Amaya attacked and dissipated the whirlwind protecting him, she dove in and attacked him hand to hand, breaking his concentration whenever he tried to focus on making another storm.

Amaya joined Raven and helped her take him down before he drew up another whirlwind, letting her hit him where it hurt while keeping her from the debris and the shredding capabilities of the fast churning winds surrounding them. She recognized this way of fighting. It was guttural, instinctual. His powers were protecting him subconsciously while he focused on keeping Raven from knocking him out.

Her moves were fast, but not as fast as they could be. She felt confined in what Hank had made. Riptide seemed to have sensed her struggle and smirked, mentally noting certain difficulties before retaliating and using them to his advantage. He didn't prefer hand to hand combat, mostly using his storms to keep his attackers at bay, but that didn't mean he didn't know how nor that he wasn't good at it. Riptide brought up more debris and mixed it into the storm, ready to use when he needed to.

Amaya kept watch of what he was doing outside of the physical fight and frowned, bringing up her own shadows. Every time he tried to force one of the debris in, she'd counter it and knock it back out with her shadows while Raven continued her barrage of attacks on him. With a final heavy kick to the head, the blue girl knocked the man over and knocked him out.

Raven took several deep breaths and grinned at her sister expectantly. They didn't do such a bang up job. Her grin was instantly wiped from her face and replaced with shock and worry, seeing a long piece of metal jut out from her side.

Amaya glanced down at the object and wrapped her hands around it, slowly pulling it out. It wasn't too deep, but it hurt. Badly. She needed medical attention.

Raven instantly ran over and helped support her, hobbling her back over to the crashed plane as fast as she could.

Amaya kept her hand pressed tightly on her newfound wound. Was that what the bad feeling was about? Something small like this? Part of her hoped it was, but another part of her knew it wasn't. She knew there was still more to come.

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**You know what's in the next chapter, right? ****_Right_****? It's that thing that so many of you have been waiting for? You know, that scene where Charles gets shot and stuff. Yeee that beach scene. Get hyped guys! Even though you kind of are already. XD Anywho! Don't forget to review! And have a nice day!**


	23. Chapter 23: Shot

**Here we go. The scene you've all been waiting for! There were so many directions I could have gone with it, I honestly had no idea which to pick. And soulsisterinaslan, I agree completely. I mean, I'm sure Moira's a nice character or something, I just didn't really see her use in this whole thing except for in the beginning? And then in the end when she was shooting Erik. For god's sake woman, he just controlled missiles. What makes you think he wouldn't be able to control bullets? Or you know, the gun in general? Sigh. That part just really annoyed me. Ah well. Enjoy!**

**Edit: I have absolutely no idea what happened when I uploaded it the first time. It looked fine on the doc. manager and when I previewed it. .-. Thanks for drawing it to my attention, guys. Hopefully this one uploads right.**

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Raven set the girl down on the sand by the plane and immediately went in to try and find the first aid kit. Thankfully Charles was fully focused on Erik otherwise he'd be scolding them by now. Beast knelt down next to Amaya and examined the wound as Alex returned, supporting an exhausted Sean. They stared, eyes wide.

"Lookin' sexy there, Havok," Amaya teased, seeing that the disk in his suit was gone.

"The hell happened to you?"

"Just a scratch." She rested her head against the cool metal behind her and took a breath. She could feel the blood seeping through her clothes, and the blood on her hands was already starting to stick.

Raven returned quickly and gave Hank the med kit as soon as she arrived.

"She hasn't lost too much blood," Hank explained, cleaning up the wound as best as he could. "It looks messy, but she's already healing."

While Hank worked on her wound, Raven helped Amaya clean her hands, though it was Raven's hands that were shaking. Amaya gave her a smile and patted her arm. "I'll be fine, Rae. I always am."

"Yeah, but-" 

"We still have a mission to finish, remember? I'm fine. It's honestly just a scratch." She shrugged as if it were nothing, if it would ease Raven. But she knew better. Raven knew that it wasn't actually nothing. She knew well enough. Amaya could practically feel the blood escaping her, the area around the wound burning. Sand had gotten in and was making everything so much more painful and messy.

Nevertheless, Raven nodded and gripped onto her hand when Hank started the stitches. They weren't bad. After all the others, she'd honestly gotten used to them. Hank had just barely finished the stitches when a scream resounded through the air. Amaya's head instantly snapped up.

"Charles!" She cried, hastily trying to get to her feet only to get held down by the others.

"Keep her still, I still have to tie the end-" 

"_Charles_!" What the hell was going on? He was in the plane, what the hell could be hurting him?

As soon as Hank finished, Amaya hobbled to her feet, supported by Raven. She hissed at the sudden movements and instantly held onto her wound again. That hurt. Bad. They didn't even have to move far, seeing as how Charles and Moira stepped out a moment later.

"Charlie." Amaya rushed over, enveloping him in a hug.

"Amaya-" He paused and looked at her. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"

"What happened to _me?_ What happened to _you_?" 

"That doesn't matter right now. Are you-" Charles stopped, turning to the sound of creaking metal.

A large hole began forming in the side of the sub, Shaw's limp body hovering out of the hole. Blood dripped from the small hole in the middle of his head. "Today, our fighting stops!" Erik stepped up behind him and dropped the man to the ground with a sickening thump before levitating himself down to the ground.

Amaya glanced down at the now dead man. The man who tortured them for their childhood. The man who set their lives on this course. She couldn't help the small frown on her face. Not because she thought he deserved to die. No. She wanted him dead. But because she thought he got off far too easily... She wanted him to suffer as they had. And that scared her.

"Take off your blinders, brothers and sisters. The real enemy is out there." He pointed out towards the waters accusingly.

Amaya followed his line of sight. Their weapons were aimed for them. Why the hell were their weapons aimed at them?

"Raven," Charles whispered. "Keep Amaya safe..."

"And what are you going to do?" Amaya whispered back.

"Try and stop Erik before things get out of hand."

Erik began moving to the coastline. "I feel their guns moving in the water, their metal targeting us. Americans, Soviets, humans... United in their fear of the unknown. The Neanderthal is running scared, my fellow mutants! Go ahead, Charles," he said, turning to the man. "Tell me I'm wrong."

He glanced at him warily before pressing his fingers to his temple again and focusing out on the ocean. Sure enough, he heard their thoughts. They were going to get rid of them in an attempt to get rid of the "mutant problem". He turned to Moira and nodded, making her instantly take off for the plane in a desperate attempt to try and contact them to stop.

It was a moot attempt. Their communications went down with the plane. Amaya felt her throat close up, seeing the missiles launch from every single ship out there. This was it. This was the feeling, wasn't it? They wouldn't be able to get away. She froze. "Erik!" She called. He would be able to stop them. He felt their metal move. If he controlled the sub, he could control the missiles. "Erik, stop them!"

He met her gaze with a hint of a smirk before lifting his hand. Moments before the missiles would have hit, they stopped in mid air. All of them. Their fuel and fire ran out, leaving them levitating in mid air totally in Erik's control. He slowly turned his hand and spun the missiles towards the ships.

"Erik, you said yourself," Charles began. "We're the better men. This is the time to prove it."

Erik made no sign that he was even reconsidering, finishing turning all of the missiles o where they came from.

"There are thousands of men on those ships. Good, honest, innocent men! They're just following orders."

"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders," he finally said. His mind flashed back to all of those experiments Shaw did and everything he'd been through because of them. He glanced back at the others. They'd all had their hardship because of these men just following orders. "Never again." With a flick of his hand, he sent them soaring back to the ships.

"Erik, release them!"

He didn't. He couldn't. After everything they had done for the Americans? Stopping Shaw, stopping a nuclear war, and _this_ was how they repay them? By trying to kill them? He had absolutely no sympathy. Men who would easily turn on someone who had literally just saved their lives didn't deserve to live.

"_No!_" Charles shouted, tearing for Erik. He couldn't get into his mind to stop him. Not with that helmet. He launched himself at the man and tackled him to the ground. Erik's concentration easily broke and the missiles started falling and exploded over the waters. He had to stop him, and that helmet was keeping him from doing so. He grabbed at the helmet and tried to claw it off of his head.

"I don't want to hurt you... Don't make me!" Erik slammed his elbow against Charles' head and scrambled out from under him.

The rest looked to each other before taking a step to help. Things would get out of hand, someone would get severely hurt.

"Stand back!" Erik shot his hand out and sent the others flying back.

Amaya shut her eyes, waiting to be airborne and hit the ground, but it never came. Thank Erik for that. Raven looked at her with the same disbelief in her eyes and helped her forward a bit.

Erik kept Charles pinned under him and lifted his hand to take control of the missiles again.

"Erik, stop!"

He turned back to the man with a frown. He was _really_ getting tired of this fight. He curled his hand into a fist and punched Charles hard enough for them to hear it. Erik rose to his feet and focused on the missiles.

He didn't see Moira step up and aim a gun at him, taking a shot.

Amaya looked at her eyes wide. "Are you stupid?!" The man could control metal. What the hell was she thinking that a bullet could take him down? He would just deflect it. She pushed herself off of Raven and ran over to Charles to see if he was okay and to make sure he wouldn't get hit. He was right next to Erik, there was definitely a chance he'd get shot by a stray bullet. She winced, feeling her wound reopen and bleed once more with the sudden movement. She doubled over, but before she could even take another step forward, her body hit the ground and she felt a sharp pain explode throughout her left side. She couldn't even process that it was her screaming.

"No, no, no, no!" Charles rushed over to the fallen girl and slowly turned her to face him, eyes frantic. Every movement only made her injuries burn more and made her cry out in pain. When he pressed his hand against the wound to put pressure on her wound, she screamed again.

Erik knelt down next to her, stunned. "I didn't- This never-" He wanted to take the bullet out. He felt the need to. Amaya only stopped him and shook her head. He paused, his gaze turning to Moira behind him. "_You_. _You_ did this."

"No, it wasn't," Charles intervened, shooting Erik a stern glare. "It was you, Erik. You did this to her."

"This never would have happened if she-" He pointed back at Moira.

"Guys, can you not?" Amaya croaked, trying to shift herself only to result in whimpering in pain.

Charles looked down at her, eyes softening. He gently cradled her against his body in a protective manner.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Erik began. "Amaya-"

"Hey, it's okay." She gave him a small smile. "I know you didn't mean for it to happen. I'm reckless, remember?"

The corner of Erik's lips curled ever so slightly before he turned to Charles. "This is exactly what they want, Charles. This is only the start. Next thing you know we'll be turning on each other. We're brothers, you and I. All of us, we need to be together, protecting each other. We want the same thing..."

Charles merely shook his head. "I'm sorry my friend... But we do not."

He shifted his gaze to the injured girl.

"I see your viewpoint, Erik, and I understand it well. A part of me agrees with you. After all of our similar experiences... But I'm sorry... I can't just leave Charles."

Erik almost snorted. Of course he saw that coming, but he had a bit of hope that she'd at least come with him.

"Come here." She lifted her good arm out to him for a hug, one that he uncertainly leaned into, not wanting to accidentally hurt her further. It hurt, it _burned_ to move, but she had to say her goodbyes. At least, her "see you later"s. "If you ever need anything," she murmured so only he could hear. "Don't you _dare_ hesitate to ask."

Erik pulled back, looking at her confusedly. He thought she didn't want to help.

She smiled at him tiredly. "Us lab rats gotta stick together, right metal brain?" She winked. "Surprisingly enough, you've been a good weird older brother figure sort of guy."

He let out a small chuckle and pressed his lips to her forehead before getting to his feet. He took a few steps away from them and turned to the mutants watching them. "This society won't accept us. We form our own. The humans have played their hand. Now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?"

The mutants glanced at each other. The ones who followed Shaw earlier were even unsure, and the ones who were with Charles were _definitely_ hesitant.

"No more hiding," Erik said, meeting Raven's eyes. He knew it would resonate with her. He knew she would want to go with him. Being with Charles meant hiding herself, yet going with him meant being free to be whoever she wanted to be.

Raven took apprehensive steps towards the man. She _did_ want to go with him. But then there was Amaya and Charles... At last second, she changed course and knelt down next to her bleeding sister. Raven gently brushed back some of her hair and bit her lip. Amaya was pale, very pale. Her breathing was getting ragged and she could see the exhaustion in her eyes. Amaya shot her a weary grin, to which she returned with a sad smile.

"You should go with him," Charles said once she came over. "It's what you want."

"You promised me you would never read my mind."

"I know. I promised you a great many things, I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

"And you're not going with him?" Raven asked Amaya.

"I can barely even breathe without feeling pain, let alone move. Can't really go anywhere..."

Raven shook her head amusedly. Still sarcastic as ever. "I mean, when you're healed. You're joining us, aren't you?"

Amaya smiled and squeezed Charles' hand when she felt him stiffen slightly. "I may share the same view point as Erik, but I can't leave Charles. Even thinking about it feels like I'm tearing myself apart."

"Take care of him," she said before looking at Charles. "And you'd better take care of her."

He nodded. "Always."

"Raven, get down here." Amaya held her good arm out again and unlike Erik, Raven was more than glad to give her a hug. "You'd better keep in touch."

She smiled and nodded before taking Erik's hand. Riptide, Angel, and Azazel slowly moved towards the duo and linked hands for their departure. "And, Beast," Raven called. "Never forget. Mutant and proud."

As soon as they disappeared, the others ran over to where Charles and Amaya were. They couldn't even do anything that would be remotely helpful.

"Help is on the way," Moira said, looking warily at the blood that had spilled out of her. "A helicopter's coming by to get you to a hospital as soon as possible."

Amaya took a breath and nodded. All of the adrenaline she felt before was dying out. She felt weary, enervated. The edges of her vision were already blacking out. She was far too exhausted and lost too much blood.

"Amaya, stay awake," Charles murmured. "Please, don't go to sleep. Just stay with me."

"I'm tired, Charlie," she replied, though her words were slurred.

"Just a little longer. Help is almost here..."

His words slowly faded out as her eyes closed. She could hear the others' voices, but she couldn't bring herself to listen or even focus on anything. She barely even registered another flaming pain shooting through her as she was moved. She couldn't even scream. It felt like her whole body was shutting down. She was tired of fighting, tired of trying to stay awake. She gave up, falling into the darkness that she knew so well.

* * *

**Many of you predicted it would happen like this, her taking the bullet for Charles. Everything's winding down. Only one chapter left before I start the sequel~ Who's hyped?**


	24. Chapter 24: Home

**Here we are. At the end. I just wanna thank all of you for sticking with me for the whole story. It was just great :3**

Beeps. That was the first thing Amaya heard when she came through. Beeps and low voices. The second thing she noticed was the clear smell of chemicals and disinfectants. Her heart pounded against her chest. This place felt familiar. The sounds, the smell, the voices. Even the pain in her body and the fact that she could feel herself hooked up to a machine or other device was something he was familiar with. It wasn't good. Memories flashed through her mind, those countless tests and all of the prodding. Her heart was going insane and the beeping was blaring rapidly.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. We need to call someone."

"You go, I'll stay here with her."

Whoever they were, she couldn't tell if she knew them or not. The second she felt someone touch her skin, she jumped into action. Amaya jumped over them and flipped them onto the bed she was just resting on, pulling their arm behind them painfully.

"Hey!"

Her head snapped up and she immediately went to the one who had just returned. She kicked off of the pinned man and grabbed the other, landing on his back and wrapping her arm around his neck in a choke hold tightly. She didn't register who these men were, whether they were familiar to her or not. She only reacted on instincts.

"Amaya!"

That voice she _did_ know. She looked over to the doorway and met a familiar pair of blue eyes. She slowly slipped off of the man's back and practically ran over to him, falling in his arms. "Charles..."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her hair for a moment before looking to the other two in the room. It was then that the pain had gotten to her, but it was a rather dull pain compared to what she remembered feeling before. "Why is it that minutes after you convince me to get something to eat this happens?"

"Not our fault your girlfriend fights damn well when she just wakes up," one grumbled.

Amaya blinked and turned to them. Sean and Alex. They were both rubbing either their arm or their neck in pain. "Sorry..."

"Geez, Amaya. We get injuries while he gets a hug, some favoritism," Alex said. "We were worried too, you know."

She walked over to them and gave them both a hug. "Sorry."

Alex chuckled and patted her good shoulder. "Now get back in that bed before Charles makes you."

"We'll give you two a moment alone. Don't get too wild now." Sean grinned and winked before he and Alex left, shutting the door behind them.

Amaya could only roll her eyes amusedly at them before getting back in the bed and looking to Charles. His eyes had lost their shine, dark circles surrounding them. Unlike his usually clean look, his hair was slightly disheveled and stubble had already grown on his face. He was absolutely exhausted.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"Far too long for my comfort." He took a seat in the chair next to her bed, the seat he had occupied ever since she was transferred to the room.

"What happened?"

"After you fell unconscious, a helicopter came just as Moira said. You were taken to the nearest hospital for emergency surgery. We all came and waited... It took so long, I lost track of how much time passed. During the surgery, I tapped into one of the nurses in the ER..." He glanced down, clenching his jaw.

Amaya placed her hand over his to gesture for him to continue. As soon as their skin made contact, Charles instantly gripped her hand tightly. He was shaking. Her heart clenched at the sound of his voice breaking as he began talking again.

"The bullet was dangerously close to your heart. One wrong move and... And your injury Hank hastily stitched had become infected..." He bit his lip and shook his head. "You fell into cardiac arrest... Multiple times. Even when you were stable and the surgery was complete... You were unconscious for a week."

Amaya let her gaze drop, taking in everything he had said. She could only imagine what he'd had to go through. What he had to go through because of _her_. She squeezed his hand before scooting over on the bed, tugging on his arm. He needed rest. It looked as if he was about to fall over any second.

Charles hesitated for a moment, but he kicked off his shoes and climbed next to her. He held her carefully against him, not wanting to accidentally hurt any of her injuries. She snuggled up next to him, wrapping her arms around him as if telling him it was okay. His grip got tighter. He held onto her as if she'd slip through his fingers if he didn't.

"I thought I lost you."

She was sure she would have missed it if it wasn't so silent in the room. His voice was barely even a whisper.

"Erik and Raven left... And you almost... I couldn't-"

Her breath hitched. She'd never seen him so hurt, so vulnerable. After everything that happened, he had a right to be. "If I hadn't taken it... It would have hit _you_."

"I rather it be me than you."

"And you know I would never have let that happen. Seems like we're at a stalemate then. You refuse to let me get hurt, and I refuse to let you get hurt." She reached up and gently ran her fingers over his cheek, smiling when he leaned into her touch. "Hey, look at me, Charles," she murmured.

He met her eyes and she could see the glaze of unshed tears.

"It's okay. I'm right here. Erik and Raven, they're still out there. They're not lost forever. We'll see them again, and I'm still right here Charles. I'm not going anywhere and I don't plan to." She gave him a smile, one that he couldn't help but return. "We'll be okay, we all will, even if thing aren't the same."

"When did you get so good at the talking thing?" he asked.

She chuckled. "Being knocked out changes a person. Now go to sleep. You look like you need it."

He didn't protest, closing his eyes and resting his head on top of hers with a relieved sigh. _I love you_.

Amaya smiled to herself and moved closer, as if it were possible. _I love you too._

.:-:-:.

Amaya gazed up at the large mansion with a grin on her face. It felt like forever since she'd gotten to come home. She'd been discharged about a week after she came to consciousness, just to make sure she was actually fine and there weren't any more problems. She loved the look on the doctor's faces when they saw that the wound on her hip was almost healed, but of course, it was scarring. Her bullet wound in her left shoulder wasn't stinging, and it was healing pretty fast. They estimated it would be healed in a few days, give or take.

Charles came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Excited?"

"To be home? Very."

"The boys have been busy making sure your welcome would be, as Alex put it, 'awesome'. They'd been juggling preparing your welcome and preparing to open the school."

"The boys? What happened to Moira?"

"I had to erase her memory for our safety. She doesn't remember anything past the attack at the headquarters."

"Ah... So how many students do you think we're gonna get?"

"There are many mutants out there like the ones we met for this mission. I felt their minds. They feel lost... We're going to be able to show them the way. There's going to be plenty of us now."

"It's going to be a busy year, isn't it?"

"Nothing we can't handle." He smiled down at her.

"On second thought... Maybe the school isn't such a good idea..."

Charles furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why not?"

"I don't want to share my Professor," she hummed, snaking her arms around his neck as his hands fell to her hips.

"Don't worry, love." Charles chuckled and tugged her closer, bending down so his lips were barely brushing against hers. "We'll still have our alone time."

"I'm a selfish girl, Charlie, keep that in mind."

"Wouldn't have you any other way."

She grinned as he pulled her into a kiss. Before they could even continue, the doors were thrown open.

"Oh come on, guys," Alex protested. "Get a room!"

"The Professor certainly has a way of welcoming her back, doesn't he?" Sean teased.

Amaya laughed and shook her head. "You guys are idiots. Where's Hank?"

The man stepped out of the house warily. He was still in his blue form. "Sorry I didn't visit, I just... You know."

She smiled and walked over, giving him a hug. "I like you in this form. You're all fluffy and cuddly."

Alex snickered. "Goes against his name, doesn't it?"

She laughed and stepped back. "Sh, it's okay."

"We should probably get going, the cake's going to end up melting," Sean said.

"You guys got cake?"

"Ice cream cake, and pizza." Sean grinned. "My idea."

"Oh I love you all."

"Professor, there's still a few things I need to talk to you about for the school," Hank said.

"We'll talk while we eat then. I'm sure Amaya's hungry," Charles replied.

"Maybe not for food but for something- some_one_ else," Alex mumbled with a smirk.

Amaya gaped at him and shot him a warning glare. He only gave her a grin and ran back inside the mansion with Amaya close on his tail. Sean chased after them, yelling something about not eating all of the food. Charles and Hank merely chuckled, walking in the same direction they were heading. Amaya glanced back, meeting Charles' eyes with a bright smile. It was good to be back home.

* * *

**Alright guys! There it is. Not Your Enemy is now officially finished~! How to ending though. .-. Don't forget to review and tell me about what you thought! And keep an eye out for the sequel. Should be up soon. So many ideas running around in my mind. Though I think one of them no one's gonna see coming. :) See you soon!**


	25. AN

**Alright, ladies and gents! Many of you asked for a note to tell you when the sequel's up. It is up indeed! At least, the first chapter is. The title is _Change_ and if you need to, just go to my profile/bio thing and head on over to the bottom to where my stories are and it should be there~ Glad you enjoyed _Not Your Enemy_ so much. See you in the next story!**

**~seriikuro**


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